Unforgivable
by ScarletDeath7
Summary: OC Mitsuki Shiramori braves the home of her enemy, fighting for a lost cause only to be handed an unimaginable fate. M for some violence, some language, and some lemons. OCXRenji OCXShuuhei
1. Passion Lost

**A/N:** First fanfic, be gentle. And note that the chapters following this one will have much more storyline to them. Comments welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any associated characters, that all belongs to Tite Kubo. However, Mitsuki Shiramori and her Zanpaku-to Haku Ryū are all mine.

Mitsuki stood silent as the cool air of the night kissed her bare shoulders. It should have chilled her, but on this night it only seemed to intensify the fever burning beneath her skin. The wait had been so long and every second that passed felt like an eternity. He always had an irritating habit of making her wait, regardless of the situation. This was no different.

Earlier that day she'd experienced the rare event of seeing him fight. It wasn't like when he used to spar with her, this was a real battle of honor. Enhanced by the blood and ferociousness, his strength, intensity, and passion were undeniable. The sight had left her weak in more ways than she wanted to admit. If his smile could make her melt, then seeing him like this set her on fire.

That fire continued to burn even as she waited, hours after it should have dwindled away. The touch of fingertips on her arm had her whirling to face him. Light from the moon illuminated his crimson hair and flawless features. He was as breathtaking as ever.

Despite her efforts to sound casual, her voice still came out raspy and heavy with need, "you're late."

"Does it matter? I'm here now." He didn't seem to have any more control over his voice than she had of her own.

As always the wait had been worth it, even though it was far from over. She fought the urge to reach for him, determined to let him make the first move. Heat rose in her cheeks as he brushed the hair from her eyes. Even a touch that light made her lungs cease to operate.

"Turn around," he commanded, his rough voice slightly more than a whisper. Unable to deny him, she complied. When he pulled her close against him she gasped as the evidence of his arousal pressed into the small of her back. One of his arms wrapped tightly around her chest, holding her close, while he moved the other under her shirt and traced her toned stomach. The sensation made her head spin as the world around them dissolved into nothingness.

Unable to resist any longer, she raised her hand and removed the band from his hair. The silky tresses fell around his shoulders as her fingers weaved through them. There was far more she wanted to do, but she refrained. When they were like this, she always yielded him the role of dominance. It was the one place she never had to complete, the one place she didn't need to be stronger, the one place she could abandon her inhibitions and he'd be there next to her urging her on, as he did now.

Lighter than a feather his lips grazed the edge of her ear. "Shirt… off," he rasped, barely audibly as he loosened his grip on her. Without thought, her fingers untied the straps securing her halter top behind her neck and at her back. As the straps fell away he moved his hands over her breasts, gently caressing and massaging, driving her need to a whole new level. As he rolled a small pebbled nipple between his fingers a moan finally escaped her lips. He smiled knowing she was at his mercy, and slowly slid his hand lower. "These," he said, tugging on the edge of her hakama, "off."

Once again she did as he requested and the hakama slid to the ground. The breezy air felt refreshing on her bare skin, but did nothing to relieve the desire that had been building all night. Even though she knew it wouldn't be much longer, the need to touch him, to feel him, was overwhelming.

Softly, his warm hands traced the curves of her back down to her waist. Ever so slowly he worked his way over her delicate hips, across her lower abs, and down to her soft thighs. Her efforts to suppress a needful whimper where vanquished by his touch. He chuckled softly at the power he held over her with only his hands.

Turning her around, he framed her face with those hands and pulled her in to a kiss they both desperately needed. His tongue swirled around hers in a playful dance that she reveled in. Nothing in the world had ever tasted better than his kiss and she found it next to impossible to break the contact.

When she moved her hands to his chest he pulled them away and pushed her against the wall. He secured both her hands above her head with one of his. "Not yet," he whispered to her before kissing his way down her neck. Releasing her hands, he traced his tongue across her collar bone, then down to her breasts, lingering attentively over each peaked nipple. Slowly he traced the lines of her abs, and circled his tongue around her navel. When he kissed the inside of her thigh her knees went week and she had to lean against the wall to stay standing.

"Renji, please, I can't take this," she begged him.

A smile crept across his face as he stood. Slowly he removed his kimono and guided her hands to his chest. Her relief was almost palpable as she ran her fingers over his toned body. Finally she could touch those incredible muscles layered beneath this perfect skin. His tattoos were so irresistible she longed to trace them with her tongue. When she finally did, a deep groan came from deep in his throat. She knew exactly what he liked.

Slowly, she worked his hakama bellow his waist and gently placed her hand around his erection. Closing his eyes, he stifled a moan from escaping his lips. Usually he stopped her and took over when they got this far, but it had been too long since their last encounter and he gave himself over to the moment. Every stroke brought him closer and closer to ecstasy. When finally he couldn't take anymore, he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her up against the wall again.

"My turn," he growled, spinning her around to face the wall. A gasped escaped her as she felt his fingers slide into her. She felt his other hand caressing her breast and his soft lips pressed erotically against her neck. Every breath she took became shallower than the last as he pushed her to the edge. Then, just before she reached the breaking point, he stopped all together and withdrew his fingers.

Her body ached from his absence and she whimpered with need. Pressing her rear against him, she begged for more. Rather than give in, he only chuckled and slapped his hand against her bottom. It was just like him to torture her like that then tease her to make it that much worse. Gripping her hair in his fist, he pulled her head back and planted his mouth against her neck. Gently he scraped his teeth across her delicate skin, bringing forth a shiver that traveled the length of her spine. Then, with his tongue, he caressed the same area leaving her breathless.

The noises of desire he drew from her fueled his own need; and as quick as that his carnal passion took over. The clothes that remained partially covering him were cast to the ground and his painfully hard erection was pressed against the woman in front of him. Straining, he fought the need to be inside her if only to torture her a bit longer until she was begging for him.

To his relief he wouldn't need to wait long. She was already grinding against him wildly, unable to control her own movements. The need to feel him against her, filling the void he'd left behind, had completely consumed her.

"Renji," she panted between breaths, "I need you… now."

The passion and need flowing from her words was enough to snap his control. The mere concept of gentleness no longer existed as he let loose the animal waiting inside him. Roughly, he slammed against her, filling her to the core with his aching member. She cried out in pain that immediately turned to pleasure as he reached around to massage her most sensitive, and aroused, areas. The intensely passionate creature he unleashed drove into her relentlessly, bringing them both closer and closer to release.

Sweat drenched their naked bodies as they both strived for the pinnacle. When he released a deep groan her body reached in turn, tightening and caressing him, desperate to hear the sound again. What she received as a reward was far better.

"Mitsuki…" he whispered in her ear.

Her name on his lips was enough to force her over the edge. Wave after wave of pleasure swept over her as her body convulsed and contracted around him. The intensity of her climax was enough to bring him to release. Pleasure washed over him as he spilled his seed inside of her.

Gently, he pulled her to rest against him, knowing she could no longer hold herself up. Leaning against the cool wall for support, he held her close in his arms. Both fought for breath as if it'd be their last, waiting for the afterglow to slowly fade away. She looked up at his face to see sated smile resting on his lips. Little did she know it would be the last time she'd see that smile.


	2. The Plan

**A/N:** This one gives you some story, yay. Thanks to everyone who's reading so far and don't be afraid to review, I want your opinions.

* * *

He hadn't been the same since he helped bring Rukia back from the Human World. Every day he became more and more distance. Mitsuki was more than used to coming in second, they were Shinigami after all, and their responsibilities always came first. Lately, however, he seemed to have forgotten his responsibilities. Orders no longer had meaning to him and he was constantly bending the rules. Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, his behavior was making him a shadow of his former ideals and priorities as Lieutenant of the 6th Division. Even worse, he seemed to have forgotten about her.

"Mitsuki," a familiar, smiling voice sounded from behind her.

"Lieutenant Hinamori, have you heard any news?" she asked with high hopes. Waiting around for information had become daunting. So much time had passed since Renji left with Rukia for Hueco Mundo. They took off to help bring home some stupid human girl they knew, and she hadn't heard a thing on how they fared since. It wasn't something she should concern herself with, yet the worry she felt refused to abandon her mind.

As much as she wanted to, Mitsuki couldn't forget the day he left. The Gotei 13 had been under strict orders to stand by and not interfere until further instructions were given. Captain Kuchiki had just escorted Renji and Rukia back from the living world and left them to their own devices, which of course didn't involve waiting. When Mitsuki found him, Renji was alone in his room making last minute preparations for his task.

"Hey, Renji, do you have a minute?"

"Sorry, Mitsuki, I'm in a hurry."

No surprise there, she figured he wouldn't have time for her anyway.

"Were you even going to tell me good-bye?" she asked, making him take pause from what he was doing. His silence betrayed the answer was no. She couldn't tell if it was pity or regret that gleamed in his eyes, not that it made a difference. He was leaving yet again and she wasn't even in his thoughts. "You know you don't have to follow her, she's strong enough to handle things on her own."

"It's not about her."

She knew she should have left things along, yet she proceeded to ignite his anger. He hadn't even taken the time to tell her it was over; at the very least, she planned to force some sort of rejection out of him. If she was ever going to move on she needed to know how he really felt.

"Isn't it, Renji?" she pressed, hoping for any kind of reaction. "What happened to you? You're Lieutenant of the 6th Division; you should start acting like it."

He brushed past her more than a little irritated. "I don't have time for this," he scoffed as he pushed his way out the door. Her cheeks flushed with pink as her anger rose. The words had escaped her mouth without thought.

"At this rate you'll never be as good as your captain."

Her last statement may have been a mistake, but it was too late to take it back. His ambition to be better than his captain was knowledge he'd entrusted her with. It was something she'd never dreamed of using against him, but in her desperation for answers it had slipped out. Before she knew it he was inches away from her face. He was so close she could almost taste his rage. It wasn't really what she had hoped for, but the rare closeness was somewhat of a consolation.

"Shut the hell up!" he yelled at her before taking a step back and calming himself. "We'll talk when I return."

His words were far from what she needed to hear. Rather than reject her, he was leaving her with a promise of hope that would keep her waiting for the inevitable she couldn't accept. As he walked away she called after him, "That's if you return at all." The words were useless, though. He continued on without ever looking back.

"That's what I came to talk to you about," the words of the 5th Division lieutenant brought her back to the present. "We've finally been given orders. The captains and lieutenants are being sent on special missions. Some of us are going to the World of the Living to stop the destruction of Karakura Town, the rest are being sent to Hueco Mundo."

Finally, it's what she'd been waiting for. The words were like music to her ears. This was her all-in chance to prove herself. After this she was sure she'd receive his full attention or complete rejection. Either way, she could be at peace and let things settle. All she needed to do was find a way to get in on this mission. She'd go to Hueco Mundo, she'd help save the human, and she'd make sure Renji came home safely.

"Do you think they would include me on the mission to Hueco Mundo?"

The lieutenant thought about it for a moment then answered, "You do have exceptional Kido skills and your zanjutsu has improved greatly, I'm sure there could be a spot for you on this mission. I'll talk to Captain Hitsugaya and put in a good word for you. Hopefully at the captains meeting he'll suggest that you accompany the team. However you will need a majority of the captains to support the idea in order to go along."

It may not have been a guarantee, but it was good enough for her. Any chance Mitsuki had of going to Hueco Mundo was better than nothing. Soon she'd be able to see he was alright and bring him home in one piece. All she need was a majority of the captains to approve her position with the group and she'd be on her way. Though, she would have to think of a plan to convince them she was worthy of the mission. If she was lucky some of the other lieutenants would help her out, and if not she'd just have to be persuasive.

"Thank you Lieutenant Hinamori. I will do my best."

"I know you will, Mitsuki, you're not 3rd seat on this squad for nothing."


	3. Favors

Usually Mitsuki avoided asking her friends for favors. Helping them out was never a problem, but she'd rather not be in debt to them whenever possible. In this case those friends happened to be the lieutenants she needed assistance from. Suddenly she was more grateful that usual for how close she was with them. Momo had already offered to speak with the 10th Division captain. That left Izuru, Shūhei, and Tetsuzaemon Iba she could ask for help from. Since she wasn't far from the 3rd Division barracks, she headed out to find Izuru.

She hadn't even made it half way when she heard the 3rd Division Lieutenant's voice behind her. "Mitsuki," he called after her.

Quickly she turned around and faced him with a smile, "Izuru!"

She had first met Izuru when she was still at the Academy. He was a year ahead of her and in advanced classes, but that didn't seem to matter much. At the time, she had been sparring with a fellow class mate, beating him for the fifth time in a row. The weak binding spell she had used this time left him immobile.

"Why don't you try beating me without Kido for once," her opponent complained as he struggled against the binding spell.

"If I did that then how would you become stronger against Kido attacks? Get strong enough to break those bindings and you'll be getting somewhere." Suddenly she felt something tightening around her arms. Unable to move, she realized someone had placed the same binding spell on her. "What the heck?"

An unfamiliar voice sounded over her shoulder, "Not as easy when things are evened out, is it?"

Smiling, Mitsuki concentrated her energy to break free of the spell. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You'll need something stronger than that to hold me."

"I see, but if you're stronger than your opponent there, why are you wasting your time sparring with him?"

"I have my reasons," Mitsuki said firmly, "but if you're volunteering to be my new opponent I won't turn you away."

With a smile, he inclined his head. "Alright, let's get to it then."

She began her attack with a weak Hadō spell that pushed her opponent back only slightly, then charged at him with her weapon ready to strike.

"You'll have to do better than that," he said nearly laughing as he counter attacked with Hadō #31, Shakkahō.

Mitsuki barely managed to dodge the attack, ducking and rolling across the ground. Before she could raise, her opponent stood over her, his sword coming down fast. Metal clashed with metal as she blocked his attack with her own sword. Using the strength in her right arm, she held him off so she could use her free hand for another Kido attack. When she began the incantation for the Hadō #31 spell, her opponent stepped away so he would have room to avoid the attack. As the red ball of energy sailed just passed him, he attacked with Hadō #33, Sōkatsui.

"Bakudō # 39: Enkosen!" she exclaimed, erecting the shield just in time to block the attack. Even though the shield protected her, it shattered on impact.

"You're strong and quick, but you're wearing down fast," he stated before spilling another incantation. This time it was Bakudō #61:Rikujōkōrō.

Even with the incantation, Mitsuki didn't have time to react and counter attack. Before she knew it, she couldn't move a muscle. "Damnit," she muttered to herself, knowing she couldn't break free from a spell of that level.

"And you definitely need more training." With that he removed the binding spell and Mitsuki sheathed her sword. "It's like you said to your friend over there, if you don't fight those stronger than you, how can you get stronger yourself?"

"True enough, I just haven't found anyone stronger to practice with me yet."

"If you'd like, I could train with you sometimes."

The offer surprised her, but she wasn't about to turn it down.

"Absolutely, that would be great."

"Good. By the way my name's Izuru Kira; I'm from the 2nd year class."

"I'm Mitsuki Shiramori, freshman class."

Reaching out, they shook hands. After that they trained together often. As Mitsuki improve her skills, she was placed in advanced classes. Even after she became part of the Gotei 13 they remained close.

Pushing the memory aside, she focused on her friend. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Likewise, I take it you heard we've finally been given orders."

"I have," she replied pleasantly as they continued to walk. "Where have you been assigned?"

"I'll be going with the group to Karakura Town. They seem to have a pretty elaborate plan and we all have an important part in it."

"That doesn't surprise me, and I know you'll do an exceptional job, you always do."

Izuru blushed slightly and chuckled at her confident compliment. "I wouldn't say that, but thank you anyway, Mitsuki."

"Well it's true," she added before moving on. "However the real reason I wanted to find you was to ask a favor."

"I knew there was a reason you were being so nice," he teased.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm always nice. Well almost always."

"True enough, now what did you want to ask of me?"

She contemplated for a moment how exactly to explain things to him. "I want to be part of the group that's going to Hueco Mundo. I know I'm not a Lieutenant, but if I can get a majority of the captains to support me I might get to go along."

"Let me guess, you want me to talk to Captain Unohana for you because I used to be in the 4th Division."

As usual he was right. He always knew what she was going to ask. Sometimes he could actually tell her what she was going to do before she did it.

"You know me too well, Izuru. Is this something you would do for me?"

"Are you sure this is what you want? It's going to be dangerous and won't change anything with him you know."

"I know, but this is something I need to do. Will you help me?"

With a sigh, he smiled. "You should know by now I can't really say no to you, Mitsuki."

"Thank you, Izuru, I owe you for this."

"Just come home alive and we'll call it even."


	4. Revelation

With two down, she gave her farewells and started out to find the 7th Division Lieutenant. For a moment she debated even going, deciding that the worst he could say was no. She wasn't as close with him as she was with the others, but he was always there to have a drink, offer helpful advice and even train with her from time to time. It couldn't hurt to ask.

Chances were she wouldn't find him at the 7th Division barracks. So she left for the Rukongai hoping she'd find him out there dueling with the 11th Division's 3rd seat, Ikkaku Madarame, as he often did. With any luck, they wouldn't be too far out and she'd be able to find them quickly.

It took longer than planned, but she found them just as she had suspected she would. Rather than interrupt their duel, she sat nearby and finished off the few sips of sake the men had left. To her surprise a hand came down gently on her shoulder. The weight of it was familiar, but she tuned to see him anyway.

"Shūhei, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Mitsuki."

She hesitated to answer, unsure of how he'd react. "I came to ask Lieutenant Iba for assistance."

"I see, and what exactly is it that you need his assistance with that you couldn't come to me for?" he asked her curiously.

"Actually," she explained hopefully, "I could use your assistance too. I want to be included on a mission and I'm trying to get support from the captains."

"You want to go after him don't you?" The question was more of a statement drenched in disappointment.

"I want to help bring everyone home safely."

"Bullshit, Mitsuki, chasing after Renji isn't going to make him change his mind. He doesn't care about you anymore."

"That's not true," the words rushed out before she could stop them. It may have been denial, but she wouldn't believe it until she heard the words leave his lips saying it was over.

"Isn't it, Mitsuki? Think about it, has he ever broken the rules for you? Has he ever fought for you? Has he ever saved your ass? That's right, he hasn't." He gave pause, as if to control something inside of him, before continuing, "Not for you, only for Rukia."

Everything he said was true, and deep down she knew it. Renji had done all those things, just not for her. They had agreed never to let their relationship get in the way of their duties as Shinigami. This meant never breaking rules, taking risks, or doing anything else for each other that could compromise their status. Yet, now he was willing to risk all that for a girl he hadn't even spoken to in years. It made her place on his priority scale rather clear.

"No one's done any of that for me, no one would," she sighed as her gaze hit the ground.

Gently, Shūhei ran his finger along her cheek down to her jaw and slowly raised her chin until she was looking into his eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

In that moment of silence, Mitsuki realized she was wrong. There had been one person who had done those things for her. She mentally kicked herself for being so blind to the obvious. Shūhei had been there for her more times than she could count, but she never thought anything of it. They were friends, yet he'd gone above the call of friendship to help her. Every word he'd ever said to her made sense in a whole new light. What she thought she understood before now seemed laughable.

Understanding gleamed in her eyes as she looked at him, but it was quickly replaced by confusion. "Why?" she questioned him, even though the answer was clear.

"Because I do care about you," he told her as she rose to her feet.

Mitsuki felt the pain in her chest rise as she knew what she needed to do. She wanted to forget the whole idea of the Mission and just stay behind knowing there was some one here for her, but she wouldn't. Instead she would go on this mission, bring everyone back safely, hear the rejection she needed to from Renji, and move on. In order to give her heart to another, she first needed to crush it and make it forget the one who stole it.

"Then you must understand why I need your help in this, why I need to go on this mission."

Shūhei sighed as he shook his head at her, "and you must understand why I can't do that. If you go, nothing good will come of it. I refuse to help send you to your death."

Neither of them noticed that Iba and Madarame had stopped dueling and were now watching them. It was that moment the Lieutenant chose to make his presence known.

"I have to agree with Hisagi. This mission's just too dangerous and it would be unwise for you to go."

"Is that your way of saying you won't help me either?" she asked with disappointment.

"Take my advice when I tell you you're better off here."

"Tetsuzaemon…"

"Sorry, Mitsuki, but I just don't think you should go."

With a huff she kicked the dirt and turned to leave. If they weren't going to help her, she'd just have to accept it and continue on with her campaign. There were still a few captains she could speak with who might be on her side.

As she walked away Shūhei called after her, "Mitsuki, whatever happens, I'll still be here."

She waved over her shoulder to acknowledge him, but remained silent with her back to him. Even though the words were somewhat comforting, she was still angry with him, yet she could see where he was coming from. Had the situation been turned around she wouldn't want him to go either. Battling her pride, she called back over her shoulder, "then when I return I shall seek you out."


	5. Not Forgotten

No matter how hard she tried, Mitsuki couldn't focus on her current task. Her mind was swimming with answerless questions. The irritation she felt at her own ignorance fought for control of her emotions over both the anger and the excitement she was already trying to suppress. It was like trying to cage a wild beast in a cardboard box.

In addition to the questions and emotions, her mind continued to replay every conversation she could remember having with Shūhei, reanalyzing whatever he said. The same words that had left his lips before meant something different now. Memories flooded her mind, starting with the day she first met him.

Flashback

Many years ago when she started at the Shinigami Academy, a group of her first year classmates dared one another to go into the most dangerous districts of the Rukongai, reach the district 80 boarders, and then return. The quest sounded simple enough and eager as she was to prove herself she accepted the dare along with a few others. As they passed from one district in to another, her peers began to drop back one by one, frighten not only by the realities of the stories they had heard, but also by the rough and desperate appearance of the rugged outer districts. Reaching the outer edge of district 79, she reflected on how suspiciously simple it had been to get there. The light of the day was beginning to dim and the members of the group she was with had long since abandoned her. Alone she reached the district 80 boarder. As she turned to head back, a group of six thugs appeared in her way. They were rough and dirty looking, and they were armed with knives and hatches.

"What do we have here?" one of them asked, twirling his knife between his fingers.

"Looks like one of them Shinigami in training."

"And a rich one by the look of those gems around her neck," another added

"We could get a lot for those gems, and the girl might be entertaining too, at least while she lasts."

Slowly, they began to move in on her.

"Stay away from me and no one will get hurt," she announced with a false confidence she hadn't expected. As she feared, though, it wasn't very intimidating coming from her.

The men laughed as they moved closer.

"Look at that, she's trying to be tough."

"It's okay, Sweetheart, you can act tough, we're still gonna hurt ya anyway."

One of the men rushed at her and she deflected his attack with her sword, sending his knife flying to land yards away. When another one came after her, she wasn't as lucky. His knife cut into the delicate skin over her rib cage. Slumped over she dodged his next attack and he fell past her. Just as she stepped to the side a hatchet whizzed pass the side of her face barely missing her. She swung her foot out to knock another off his feet just before she was thrown to the ground. Even though she was able to struggle free, she wasn't given a chance to get up. In a last defense effort she raised her weapon against the hatchet that was coming down on her fast. Instinctively she closed her eyes and braced for impact.

The sound of metal hitting metal rang in her ear, yet there was no pressure against her weapon, no slicing pain tearing through her flesh, no warm blood coating her skin. For only a moment she thought she hadn't made it out alive. Then somehow she managed to pry her eyes open. Less her sight betrayed her, another Shinigami cut down the last man standing as the other five thugs lie strewn about, bloodied and beaten. The man standing before her donned a look of irritation. He obviously hadn't been very happy about coming to her aid.

"Is your injury deep?" His voice sounded less than concerned.

It took her a moment to come to her senses as she felt the pain she had briefly forgotten about. The fresh wound burned as the blood soaked through her clothes. Every time she moved the pain caused her to wince, but she did her best to hide it.

"I… I don't think so."

"Can you walk?" he asked as he reached for her hand to pull her to her feet.

"Yeah, I can walk," she answered as she doubled over in pain.

Sighing, he pulled her arm across his shoulder to support her weight.

"Coming out here was stupid and doing it alone was irresponsible. Those aren't exactly qualities of a good Shinigami."

"I know, my apologies," she stated disheartened.

"No need to apologize to me, but a thank you would be welcome."

"Do I get to know the name of the man I have to thank?" she managed to ask between pained breaths.

With a smile he responded, "Shūhei Hisagi."

"Then I thank you, Shūhei Hisagi, for saving my life."

"You're welcome," he said, smile fading, "You're just lucky you gave off strong enough reiatsu and that I was close enough to sense it. We don't usually come out this far and the only reason I bothered to investigate was because I had nothing better to do."

"I get it; I understand I made a bad decision. It won't happen anymore. I'll see to it that you'll never have to rescue me again." With that she yawned and lost consciousness.

Hisagi sighed and lifted her into his arms. "Damn recruits," he said to himself. At least this way he could move faster with her.

Just outside district 50 he caught up to those who had abandoned her. Mitsuki gained enough consciousness to hear Hisagi scold them.

"This is not acceptable behavior if you ever wish to become Shinigami. Your instructors will hear of this." Slowly he walked away, but not without a few last words. "By the way, not only did she make it past the district 80 boarder, but she also held her own against six armed thugs."

As he walked away, the group of first year students stood in awe. The story, like all other gossip, would spread like wild fire. Thanks to his words, Mitsuki would be highly regarded from then on by the others in her year. Never again would they challenge her pride or abilities.

The next thing Mitsuki remembered was waking up in the 4th Division barracks. Her ribs were bandaged even though the wound was nearly healed. The 4th Division captain was at the bedside smiling.

"You recovered very quickly from your injuries. If you feel well enough you may return to your studies."

Mitsuki tried to remember what happened, but she couldn't clear her head.

"How long was I out?"

"It's been less than a day, but things could have been a lot worse if Hisagi hadn't found you when he did. He said you'd been fending off a group of thugs when he found you, and that you had sustained a deep laceration. You lost consciousness at some point as well; luckily he found you before that happened."

Mitsuki wasn't sure what exactly happened. Her mind was too fuzzy to figure anything out. It wasn't until weeks later that she heard the tales of Hisagi's heroics. The idea that someone so important had to rescue her because of a bad decision left her mortified. From then on she avoided doing irresponsible things and followed the rules rather strictly. She also made a point of avoiding Hisagi. Whenever he was around she averted her gaze, she'd only look at him if he spoke to her, and even then she fought a losing battle against the heat rising in her cheeks. Yet, despite her efforts, she constantly found herself in his presence for one reason or another.

At the time she thought he'd planned it all out just to see her flustered, but now she knew the real reason. The truth was he had planned out all of their encounters, however it wasn't to embarrass her; he only wanted to get to know her. Heat filled her cheeks as she recalled her attitude towards him. Everything she did was to ignore and avoid him. Finally she realized how lucky she was that he didn't give up.

She wasn't going to change her mind about the mission, but the more she thought about the time she spent with Shūhei the more she wanted to stay behind.


	6. Captains' Approval

**A/N:** Sorry for the long chapter, I was sort of impatient and it might feel a little rushed. Oh well, enjoy and R&R.

* * *

The afternoon sun was warm and comforting as Mitsuki did all she could to relax her seemingly irrational emotions. Usually she didn't have trouble staying calm; there wasn't much of anything anymore that could fluster her. Today, however, she'd figured out just how weak her composure could be. She needed to collect herself before she could speak with the captains. A trip to the kitchen for some sake would do the trick.

Of course, it was the walk she needed more than the sake. The plan was to bring it to captain Kyōraku to ensure he would be in a good mood. It probably wasn't really necessary, but if it could help improve her chances she'd take it.

It was no surprise when she found him in the atrium lying lazily beneath a cherry tree, his hat covering his face. She guessed he was probably napping as usual. As much as she hated to wake him, it needed to be done.

"Captain Kyōraku," she called happily as she walked towards him. The hat over his face shifted as he looked out at her.

"Mitsuki-san," he said before yawning and stretching his arms, "what a pleasant surprise."

Holding up the bottle in her hand she smiled, "it is indeed, and I even brought you some sake."

The flamboyant man clapped his hands together, "wonderful, I was just thinking how I needed to get some more." Standing up, he waved her toward one of the doors. "You will join me for a drink won't you?"

"Of course I will," she answered as she handed him the bottle and followed him inside. "There was something I wanted to ask you about anyway."

"Oh, and what is that?" the captain asked, motioning for her to sit as he gathered cups for the sake.

She waited as he sat and filled the cups before she explained, "It's about the upcoming mission the captains and lieutenants will be going on."

Kyōraku raised his eyebrow questioningly as he sipped from the small cup.

Mitsuki took a sip as well and continued, "I know I'm not a lieutenant yet, but I'd really like to be a part of this mission to Hueco Mundo. I think my skills would be helpful to those already going and I was hoping you'd be willing to support me should a vote arise."

"Ah, so that's what the sake was about, you wanted to buy my vote with gifts."

Mitsuki stared at him with a confused frown. That wasn't really her intent, but now that she looked at it, it did seem that way.

"The sake was more of an excuse to sit down and talk with you actually."

"So then it's not a gift?"

A slight blush colored her cheeks as she shook her head, "it's still a gift, you can keep it; I just didn't intend to use it as a bribe."

When a smile revealed itself on the captain's face and he began to laugh, she realized he had only been teasing her. Sighing with relief, she laughed lightly as well at her own reaction. They both sipped more sake as the humor slowly faded.

"However I am serious about going on this mission. Do you think I would be able to accompany the others?"

He thought it over as he finished off the cup of sake and poured more.

"You're level of skill is more than adequate, and you seem to make sound decisions. If it's what you want to do then I don't any reason not to agree with you. If it comes up you'll have my support."

Mitsuki smiled but suppressed her excitement, "thank you Captain Kyōraku, if there's anything you ever need of me, don't hesitate to ask."

"As long as you continue to surprise me with sake, Mitsuki-san, consider the debt paid. Speaking of which, I see your cup is empty. Would you like more?"

At some point she had finished it and not ever realized she had done so. "No thank you, I have quite a bit of work ahead of me, but when I return we'll have another."

"I'll hold you to that," he said as she left the room.

She was quite sure that he would hold her to it, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Her next stop, though, might not have such favorable consequences. The 2nd Division Captain Soifon had been training her the last few months in using Shunkō, knowing she'd have the potential and ability to learn the new technique. However she also hoped to convince Mitsuki to become an officer of the 2nd Division, and maybe even join the Onmitsukidō. All attempts to this point had been unsuccessful, but she knew on this day she'd likely need to compromise.

As she entered the 2nd Division barracks there was a familiar presence behind her. Without turning she addressed the woman.

"Captain Soifon," she called out, "I can sense you back there."

"Very good," the captain began as she flashed stepped before her protégé, "and the others?"

"There are twelve of them ready for attack. Two are in front, two are in back, and four are on either side. That's not including the three just outside the window who were given orders only to observe."

"Excellent, you've improved your senses," she complimented Mitsuki before barking orders to her subordinates. "Stand down, there's no threat! Return to your training!"

"Unsure whether it was me or not?" she asked jokingly.

Soifon let out a rare laugh. "It was only a test for both you and my division members."

"I take it I passed."

"For now," she said with a devious look. "So what is it that brings you this way, we don't train again for another week."

"It's about the mission to Hueco Mundo," she stated hesitantly. She'd become rather close with the captain but she still wasn't sure how she would react to the situation or the request she had.

"It's going to be a dangerous mission, what about it?"

"Well, I would like to go with, and you know my abilities better than anyone else. Would you stand behind me if the subject came up?"

A contemplative look colored Soifon's face. This was just the situation she needed to attain her goal.

"I think you're skills are more than good enough, but you'll have to do something for me if you want my support."

Mitsuki knew this was coming, but it didn't matter. Going on this mission was worth nearly any price she could think up. Whatever it was Soifon asked of her, she would agree to the terms. She inclined her head and motioned for the captain to continue.

"Join my division. Your skills would be put to better use here and everyone knows it. You can be crafty, silent, quick and lethal when you need to be. You've mastered Kido, you know how to mask your reiatsu, and before long you'll be able to use Shunkō. You're a better fit for the 2nd Division."

Taking a deep breath, Mitsuki ran a hand through her straight blonde hair and sighed. "If I agree to this then I'll have your full support?"

"One hundred percent," Soifon assured her.

"Alright," she gave in, "you have a deal, but only if I don't have to start until I return from the mission."

"Agreed," the 2nd Division caption stated. "Now I have lots of work to attend to as I'm sure you do, too. We'll talk and make arrangements when you get back. Until then, good luck with your endeavors."

As she walked out, Mitsuki pulled a hand down her face, immediately regretting her decision. "What am I getting myself into?" she said silently as she stepped into the warm sun. It was too late to go back now, plus she knew she'd need the support if things were going to work out. On the bright side, there was only one more captain she needed to speak with. Her last stop was the 13th Division Captain's office.

Gently she knocked on the closed door in front of her.

"Come in," came the response from the other side.

Slowly she opened the door and stepped inside. "Good evening Captain Ukitake."

"Mitsuki, how are you? It's been some times since you've visited."

"I'm well," she said as she usually did, "I've been rather busy with all the 5th Division work lately. I was actually hoping I could speak with you about something."

"Absolutely," he agreed, sounding somewhat concerned as he set down the papers that had been in his hands. "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about the mission to Hueco Mundo, and I think it would be useful for me to go along."

She couldn't read the look on his face as he spoke. "Is that so?"

"Yes, I feel my skill would be put to good use and I think it would be an important experience for me to have."

Once again she couldn't read him as he sat in silence thinking. It was quite a few moments before he spoke again. "I don't disagree with you, but I'll have to think about this. It is very dangerous and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, but I also think this is something you should experience. If you do go along I think it would be wise to stay with one of the captains just in case."

"I suppose I could do that, and I'd be very grateful for your support in this."

The captain smiled softly, "I know you would be. Let me think about it and I'll decide for sure by the captain's meeting tomorrow."

It hadn't been the answer she was looking for, but it wasn't a no either. As much as she wanted to go, she would never argue with Jūshirō. If he decided not to help her then she knew this was something she truly should not do, but he hadn't disagreed with her so there was still a chance.

"Thank you, Captain Ukitake, for your time and consideration," she spoke with a smile as she went to leave.

"You're welcome, Mitsuki, please feel free to visit more often. Perhaps we could talk over some tea next time."

She smiled and nodded to him, "I'll make sure of it."

With that she left, relieved to finally be finished, yet anxious for the results. As she walked home the sky wrapped itself in shades of blue, purple and pink with the setting of the sun in the distance. All there was left to do was go to sleep and cross her fingers that things went well tomorrow. Even though she had confidence that she'd be going along, she was surprised by the tiny part of her that hoped things would go differently. It was the same part of her that wanted to stay behind and forget everything else.


	7. Misunderstanding

That night her sleep was restless. Dreams of the past came back with vengeance. It was her minds way of reminding her of her purpose, of why she needed to go on this mission. However it also reminded her of how blind she had been back then.

It was her sixth year at the Academy and she was sent along with five other students on a training exercise to the living world strictly to observe. A group of three Shinigami was in charge of leading the exercise, showing the students how to work in groups to eliminate a hollow.

Everything was going well as the Shinigami took down the hollow they had been sent to eliminate, but as one went down a group of three more appeared. The Shinigami had jumped back into action, focusing on the new group of hollow that had materialized before them, when another came from behind and ambushed the students. Mitsuki noticed the other students were frozen in terror and she needed to do something fast.

"Run, you idiots!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, breaking the trance of fear that had gripped them. Without question, they all fled in different directions. Rather than run, Mitsuki faced the hollow and draw her weapon, knowing she needed to bide as much time as possible until backup arrived.

Not yet able to release her shikai, she held off the hollow with the skills she'd been training in for the past six years. She wasn't strong enough to do much damage with her katana alone and the creature's attacks were too fast for her to pull off any Kido strong enough to hurt it. Even though the Shinigami had noticed her fighting against the hollow, none were able to disengage from their current battle to assist her. Without help, she was slowly wearing down and her maneuvers were becoming more and more defensive. The Kido shields she was creating were becoming weaker with every hit, and she was taking more and more damage.

As she pushed herself past her limits, she could no longer hold off the hollow's quick attacks. With large claws, the monster ripped into her back and shoulder, deep enough to scratch the bones. Pain tore through her as she felt the warm blood pour down her back. Her left arm refused to move and the pain had nearly left her paralyzed. Forcing her will beyond her body's ability, she rolled on to her back and held her weapon in front of her as the hollow pulled back to strike again. To her surprise the final blow never came. Instead she watched as the hollow wailed in pain and disintegrated before her. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was Hisagi standing over her.

For the second time, she woke up to the surroundings of the 4th Division barracks that she hoped she wouldn't see again until after she graduated. Only this time instead of the 4th Division Captain at her bedside, it was Shūhei Hisagi. Mitsuki was beginning to wish she hadn't made it back in one piece as she raised her left hand and pulled it over her face. "How long have I been here?"

"Only two days, it's intriguing how you recover so quickly," he told her with a grin, "but you really need to stop taking on more than you can handle."

"It was either that or watch the others be slaughtered unsuspectingly. I did what I had to do."

"You also said I wouldn't have to save you again, Mitsuki."

She couldn't believe he'd actually remembered what she'd said. It was over five years ago that she'd spoken those words. Now she was more mortified than ever.

"Thank you, Hisagi, for saving my life again," she said emphasizing the last word, "and I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep my word to you."

"You're welcome, and apology accepted. Now stop putting yourself in danger."

"I can't make that promise, I'm a Shinigami and sometimes danger happens."

Sighing, he smiled at her, "You're not a full Shinigami yet, and if you can't stay away from danger then I guess I'll just have to be there to watch your back."

Mitsuki covered her face with her hand again, this time mostly to hide the fact she was blushing with embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was to distract him because she was weak, so she vowed to herself that she would become stronger.

"That won't be necessary," she explained standing up, "I plan to train harder and become stronger that way no one will be distracted by my weakness."

Hisagi stood to stop her, "you should lie back down just in case you're not fully healed."

Tearing off the bandages, she showed him all that remained of the wounds were light pink scars.

Lightly he traced his fingers along the marks. "Incredible." His voice was only a whisper. "That hollow nearly tore your entire arm off. There was damage to your muscles, tendons, and even bones; you shouldn't even be able to move right now."

Mitsuki shrugged her robe over her shoulder and tied it in the front. "It's like you said before, I heal very fast. Now if you'll please allow me to pass, I have training and classes to get back to."

"Very well," he said stepping aside, "but I'll still be watching you."

"Do as you please," she said waving him off as she left.

The truth was she thought he saw her as weak and she refused to be weak. What she needed was someone stronger to train with her. Her priorities had shifted and she set her sights on finding that person. Rather than returning to her classes, she went to find Izuru.

"Mitsuki, I'm surprised to see you up and moving. I heard about when happened, and it sounded like you were hurt pretty bad."

"I'm fine; Izuru, but I need your help. I need someone to train me on this sword. I'm not strong enough with it."

"Are you sure you've recovered enough to start that kind of training?"

"I told you I was fine. Now can you help me or not?"

Izuru sighed heavily, "I know someone who might be able to help you, but I can't promise he'll agree to it."

"That's fine, just take me to him." Mitsuki followed him to the 5th Division barracks. "He's in your division?"

"Yeah, he graduated with me last year and we were placed in the same division under Captain Aizen."

"And this guy is good with swords?" she asked skeptically.

"He's one of the best I know."

Finally they reached their destination. Inside, lounging across a cushiony couch they found who they were looking for. As they approached she could see crimson hair peeking out over the edge of the couch and an arm draped lazily over the side. The further they moved into the room, the more of him she could see.

"Renji, I have someone I want you to meet."

Opening his eyes, he glanced over at them. Noticing her red uniform, he teased his friend, "Ah, Izuru, isn't she a little young for you."

Mitsuki stepped forward and cut in before her friend could speak. "Aren't you a funny one? Too bad I'm not here for the comedy. I need help training so I can become stronger with my sword, and Izuru says you're good."

He was surprised his friend would say that, but he made sure to hide it with arrogance, "that's because I am good. What makes you think I have time to train you?"

She tried to suppress her irritation as she responded, "if you don't have time then I'll just have to find someone better."

"You think you can find someone better?"

"I can if I need to, but I was hoping that wouldn't be necessary."

Renji looked her over for a moment, deciding what to do. "Are you completely serious and committed to this?"

"I wouldn't waste my time talking to you if I wasn't serious and committed."

"She's feisty, isn't she?" he said glancing at Izuru who merely shrugged. "Well, I suppose I could train you a little, only because I have nothing better to do this afternoon."

Although she was irritated by his arrogance, she was still glad for the training. That day she had no idea that there would be anything between them. She couldn't even picture him as a friend at that point. Yet that day had set things into motion for them and would evolve into more than they could have ever imagined.

Mitsuki woke up and groaned, much rather having forgotten the memory. It reminded her too much of the task ahead of her, and of how she misunderstood Shūhei's intentions. He never actually thought of her as weak, he only wanted to protect her. Once again she mentally kicked herself for not realizing that at the time. Silently, she vowed that when she returned she'd set things straight.


	8. No Turning Back

Today was it. The morning refused to end as Mitsuki waited anxiously for the captains' meeting to conclude. She had already prepared herself to go along on the mission since they would leave as soon as the captains arrived. There was a possibility that she'd be left behind, but she refused to be anything other than optimistic about it. Doing her best to hide the anxiety she was feeling, she waited as patiently as possible with the others who were going along.

"Oi, Shiramori-san," Ikkaku Madarame called from behind her.

She turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, "Madarame-san, is there something you need?"

The look on his face was smug as usual, "I can't quite imagine the captains would let you go, but if they do are you sure you can handle it? You wouldn't exactly be my top choice to send along to Hueco Mundo."

The familiar irritation threatened to break down her composure, but she managed to subdue the emotion. It wasn't that she didn't get along with Madarame. They talked and joked often, not beyond having a few drinks from time to time, but when it came to missions it was always a competition. Anytime Mitsuki had been chosen for anything, Madarame had a habit of challenging her strength, most likely because he knew she'd react to it.

She smiled arrogantly to keep the irritation at bay, "I'm at the same level as you, in case you've forgotten; we are both 3rd seats."

"That doesn't mean anything. In case you've forgotten, I'm an officer of the 11th Division. I'll always be stronger than you."

Mitsuki rolled her eyes, "if there was more time I'd drag you outside and show you otherwise."

"That's the spirit," he said smiling as he patted her back, "when we get back I'll be sure to wipe the floor with you."

"You're on," she accepted the challenge that she usually let slide. She'd never had anything to prove, and still didn't, but if she accepted the invitation and showed her true strength then maybe he'd stop challenging her. Of course there'd be plenty of time for that later, right now there were more important things to focus on, like the fact Captain Hitsugaya was headed their way.

The anticipation was driving her crazy and she did all she could not to run up to the small captain and beg to know the outcome of the meeting. Instead she managed to keep her calm air and patience as the captain first gave orders to his lieutenant. When he finally turned to her, she was a nervous wreck on the inside, yet completely sound on the outside.

"Shiramori-san, the captains held a vote and decided to have you accompany the team to Hueco Mundo."

Excitement lit up her eyes as she struggled to keep it under wraps. She barely managed to keep the rest of her expression neutral. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya," she said with a slight bow.

"However I'll give you fair warning, most of the captains on that team voted that you stay here. They don't feel you're strong enough for the mission. I would advise you to stay with Captain Unohana and avoid engaging any arrancar if possible." Mitsuki shook her head in understanding, even though it was unlikely she'd actually follow his advice. "Now, the group is heading for the Living World where Urahara will open a pathway to Hueco Mundo. You'll need to stay close to everyone and be careful not to get lost."

"Respectfully, Captain Hitsugaya, this isn't my first mission, I'm aware of the safety etiquette when leaving the Soul Society."

The look on his face gave serious a whole new meaning. "Mitsuki," he said gravely, his hand on her shoulder, "there are five captains, including myself, who will feel personally responsible if anything happens to you on this mission. So please don't do anything reckless."

Nodding again, she swallowed hard. Her plan was affecting more people than she had intended. Never once had she given thought to how others would feel if something did happen to her. It never really mattered before. That only meant she'd have to work that much harder to ensure she'd bring everyone back safely.

"You should get going. They're meeting at the gates to open a Senkaimon and I can guarantee they won't wait up for you."

Again she bowed to the captain and hurried off.

The captains' votes had been a lot closer than she'd thought. Chances were it came down to the decision of one captain to break the tie. Once again she wondered if this was still a good idea. Over the last day she'd begun to realize how much she still had here. Then the thought she'd spent the last day denying crept into her head. Was Renji even worth all this? Immediately she dismissed the notion. This wasn't about him anyway, it was about her. She needed closure to move on, to start enjoying things again.

As the team came into sight she cleared her mind the best she could. It was just as Captain Hitsugaya had said. They were ready to pass through the Senkaimon regardless of her presence. Lucky for her, she had made it just in time. She fell in line behind the last captain. The large formed man looked over his shoulder at her.

"I'm surprised you're here, I figured you would have backed out like a coward."

She did her best to keep an impassive expression, "all due respect, Captain Zaraki, I back down from nothing."

He let out a soft huff trying not to laugh as he stepped through the gate. Mitsuki followed close behind.

Urahara was waiting outside his little shop when they arrived. Everything looked just as she remembered it. The trees, the ground, the shop, even Urahara himself hadn't changed since the last time she was here. As usual, he welcomed them inside.

"I'd offer you tea, but there's really no time for that. Now if you'll follow me this way, we'll get started as soon as possible."

This was the first time Mitsuki had ever seen the secret underground area. She tried not to let her fascination show through. A platform had been set up with a number of beams standing on it that would somehow be used to open the pathway to Hueco Mundo. As she watched, the shop owner performed an incantation and a dark tear appeared in the air above him. One by one the team entered until only Mitsuki was left. When she stepped forward to enter, Urahara stopped her.

"Before you go, Shiramori-san, I have something you might find useful," he said before handing her a smooth black cloak. She knew what it was instantly, and that it would be useful.

"Thank you, Urahara-san," she nodded to him before entering the opening.

This truly was the point of no return. There was no going back until the task was finished. She refused to let fear even tease her thoughts as she focused on her mission. Now that the easy part was over, the real fun could begin.

**

* * *

A/N:** It could be a while before the next update. I have to work all weekend and my days off are now more limited. So my apologies, but enjoy the story and feel free to review.


	9. The Mission

A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't from the chill in the air of the dark desolate tract that surrounded her. Everything about this place felt disheartening, as if she'd never again be able to experience joy. There was no place she'd ever been that felt anything like it did here in Hueco Mundo.

Dismissing the strange aura of the new world they'd entered, she turned her attention back to the captains. They were discussing the option of splitting up in the directions of the reiatsu belonging to those they came to help. In the distance she could sense Renji's, but it wasn't as strong as it should have been. Somewhere further away she could barely sense Rukia's as it slowly depleted. Captain Kuchiki had already taken off in that direction with Hanatarō Yamada chasing after him.

Captain Kurotsuchi's expression shone with curiosity. Without words he left in the direction she had felt Renji's reiatsu. Even though she wanted to follow she decided against it. The thought crossed her mind that she might do something stupid once she saw Renji that could inadvertently anger the captain. Making the 12th Division captain angry wasn't something she wanted to deal with here.

"Kurosaki seems to be fighting a strong opponent, and getting his ass kicked by the feel of it. This could definitely be fun," Captain Zaraki stated before taking off toward the battle.

Mitsuki looked to Captain Unohana with a silent plea. They both knew her skills in healing weren't strong enough to make a difference here. Once she saw the captain nod in understanding, she masked her reiatsu and followed after the 11th Division captain, keeping a safe distance behind him.

As they neared their destination, Mitsuki closed the distance slightly. Chances were the captain had sensed her behind him the whole time, but he waited until that moment to make it known.

"I'm only gonna say this once," he shouted to her without ever looking back, "if you get in my way, I will kill you." She remained silent as she heard the violent captain laugh.

Yachiru looked back at her from the captain's shoulder and smiled happily. "So stay back when Ken-chan is fighting, okay Mitsi-chan?"

Getting in the way wasn't exactly part of her plan. The idea was completely the opposite. Observing the captain fight would give her a concept of what she was up against. Even though she'd done her best to research the enemy, information on the Arrancar was extremely limited. However, the more she could learn about them, the easier it would be to work around them.

Seconds later they reached their target. At some point they had entered a building, yet it still looked and felt like they were still in the middle of the desert. The only difference was the brightly lit sky and the warmer, heavier air. Cylindrical towers of different heights were scattered across the endless sands. A number of them were littered with holes or missing the entire upper half. Some even rested on the ground in shambles. Boulders and rocks dotted the landscape, making for decent cover.

Mitsuki settled behind a large boulder, her reiatsu still masked so that no one would notice her. She watched as Captain Zaraki approached the scene. The boy she barely recognized as Ichigo Kurosaki lay on the ground barely moving. A few yards away, also sprawled across the sand, was a blue haired Arrancar who appeared to unconscious, if he was even alive. Still standing were two other Arrancars. The one with the dark hair restrained a pale redhead, who she guessed was the human in need of rescuing, while he laughed sadistically at the mess in front of him. The other one was already in, what she assumed to be, his Resurrección form since he looked more beast than man. He also seemed to be taking orders from the dark haired man.

At the command of his supposed master, the beast prepared to make the killing blow. As his giant fist came down, the captain stepped in to block it from crushing the young orange-haired man on the ground. In one smooth, effortless move, he cut down the center of the beast, leaving it lifeless on the ground. The other Arrancar was no longer laughing as he let go of the girl.

As the two men faced off, Mitsuki focused all her senses on observing the fight. The arrogant dark haired man revealed himself to be the 5th Espada, Nnoitra Jiruga. He was a good opponent for the 11th Division captain. They were evenly matched, or so it seemed. Every time the 5th Espada tried to gain the upper hand, Captain Zaraki would adjust his reiatsu and answer with a more powerful attack. That wasn't to say he didn't take damage, but that could have been why he was having so much fun. Yet, when the time came, he got serious. He was there to defeat the enemy and he would do so. Landing the final blow on opponent, he watched the 5th Espada fall to the ground, slightly disappointed that the fight needed to end. Respectfully, he thanked his slain enemy for the great battle and walked away.

Mitsuki stared at the lifeless Arrancars a few yards away from her. Their now empty, serene forms were at odd with the monsters they had just been. She reflected momentarily on the correlation of death and peace. Sometimes it was the only true rest for these tormented souls.

During the fight, the girl had healed Kurosaki's wounds. Now that he was finished fighting, Captain Zaraki commanded her to heal him as well. The girl hadn't even made it half way to him when another Arrancar appeared. Just as quick, he grabbed her and disappeared.

With the other two injured, Mitsuki knew there was no way they would be fast enough. So, she took it upon herself to chase after the Arrancar. She could hardly keep up, but it kept her a safe distance back so he wouldn't sense her reiatsu, even thought it was masked. It seemed to do the trick.

She followed them to a large empty room. Watching stealthily from the doorway she noted that which she hadn't noticed before. The Arrancar she'd been chasing had long dark brown hair that fell in unkempt waves to his shoulders. The fanged remains of a hollow mask adorned his neck and white gloves covered his hands. Mitsuki wondered if he, too, was an Espada. She also noticed the girl's lack of resistance to him. It was curious indeed.

When the man looked ready to leave again, she ducked back into the shadows, hoping he wouldn't be able to detect her. Once he disappeared down the hallway, she entered the room. It was quiet, except for the soft sobs coming from the girl sitting on the bed. Crying was a weakness Mitsuki refused to entertain. The girl before her, however, let her tears fall freely, seemingly uncaring of who might see her.

Slowly she approached the girl, knowing there was no way to avoid startling her. When the girl didn't look up, she reached out and lightly touched her shoulder. The faint touch made her jump, and Mitsuki backed up a few steps.

"It's okay, I'm here to help you," she said gently, trying to calm the girl, who began to relax slightly.

"There's nothing you can do for me. I serve Aizen now, and even if I left they would just bring me back."

It wasn't the reaction she expected. Her voice was completely void of hope, as if she'd convinced herself of this. Someone at some point had broken through whatever resolve she may have had. The whole thing made Mitsuki furious.

"Enough!" she shouted, "You sound pathetic when you talk like that. You don't serve anyone." Quickly, she took out the cloak Urahara had given her and handed it to the girl. "I want you to put this on and follow the same path you just came in on. It will take you back outside where your friends and the captains will be waiting."

Her hands shook as she put the cloak on. "What will this do?"

"It will suppress your reiatsu making you virtually undetectable by anyone not looking for you, but you must hurry. If anyone is monitoring your reiatsu they probably noticed when it disappeared."

"What about you? Aren't you coming with me?"

Mitsuki rolled her eyes as she pushed the red headed girl out the door. "Don't worry about me, I have a plan. Your job is to get to your friends and make sure they take you home immediately. If I'm not out there when the group rejoins, tell them to leave without me. Our mission was to get you and your friends to safety. Now go."

Shaking her head, the girl finally disappeared down the hallway. Mitsuki would have gone with, but she knew if she did they'd be more likely to get caught. No one would be expecting the girl to have escaped alone, so they would be looking for more than one person. At least this way the girl had a chance.

Either way, Mitsuki was now alone and it was time to put her semi-thought-out plan into action. With the girl's reiatsu gone, surely someone would be sent to check on her. If she could provide enough distraction, perhaps the others could make it out without anymore fighting. Mitsuki curled up on the bed and pulled the blankets up to her head, covering her face and long blonde hair. The next person to enter the room would be in for one hell of a surprise.


	10. Waiting

Miraculously, Orihime had made it outside safely. To her relief, she found Ichigo and one of the captains recovering there with Nel.

"I… Inoue?" Ichigo stammered, "How did you get away?"

The sight of her friend nearly brought her to tears. Through stifled sobs, she struggled to answer. "A Shinigami helped me, she gave me this," the girl said, tugging at the cloak that covered her. "She told me it suppresses reiatsu."

"That explains why we couldn't sense you anymore," Ichigo realized.

"I was wondering where Shiramori ran off to," the bulky captain stated.

Over his shoulder, the small pink-haired lieutenant popped up looking worried. "Then where in Mitsi-chan?"

"She stayed behind in the room they had brought me to, but no need to worry, Yachiru-san, I think it was part of her plan."

Captain Zaraki huffed in irritation, "She's probably planning to create a diversion so we can get the girl out of here without issue. Stupid woman."

"What's so stupid about that? I think it should work."

"Except the part where they take her prisoner, or kill her," he shrugged like it was nothing and turned to walk.

"Wait," Ichigo called after him, "shouldn't we go after her?"

The captain shook his head, "we need to find the others and get you home. If she doesn't make it back with us, they'll send a group to bring her back."

No one was happy about the answer, but it was the way things were. Every mission had the potential for disaster, but that didn't change their goal. There was limited time on this specific mission, and it didn't allow for this type of complication. It may not have been the best option on Mitsuki's part, but the truth was it would help the other complete the assignment faster.

"We should find the others quickly."

* * *

Her patience was strained. It was taking far longer than she figured it would for someone to check the room. Laying still and silent she continued to focus her energy on hiding her reiatsu. It was a struggled against boredom not to relax her guard. Despite her efforts, she couldn't keep her mind from wandering. She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him. No, that wasn't true. She had made her own decisions, but it hadn't helped that he made her feel the way she did.

It hadn't always been that way. When they first met, she found him arrogant and difficult. She even contemplated finding someone else to help her train. Overtime, though, he dropped the arrogant act and got more serious. As her skills improved, he actually had to put forth effort when they sparred.

The first time she ever beat him happened to be the first time she ever thought of him as more than a friend. It was nearly two year since she started training with him. In that time she had graduated from the academy, learned to release her Zanpakutō, and became a member of the 5th Division. Most notable, however, was her improvement in strength.

Their training session had started out as it always did. They reviewed anything from the previous session, and then they covered anything new. The only difference she noticed was Renji. He seemed a little off, like he couldn't quite focus on their training. He'd watch her, yet he couldn't explain what she was doing wrong when even she knew. Then when he moved her through the motions, he went slower than usual, holding on for a few seconds longer than was needed.

Finally they began the sparring match at the end. Never before had she landed so many hits on him. It almost seemed like he was letting her win. If that was the case, then she'd take advantage of it. The next few strikes she landed again, although not hard enough to hurt him. He blocked a few more, but never moved to attack her. Even more surprising, though, was the fact he hadn't said a single word since they began sparring.

"What's with you? If you keep this up you're going to lose," she said to him, hoping to focus his attention on their match.

"Shut up," he told her as he charged with a weak attack.

Mitsuki easily deflected it. After making a few more moves, she disarmed him and pinned him to the ground. Straddling him, she lowered her sword.

"I told you if you kept it up you were going to lose," she taunted.

Gently he placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her close. "And I told you to shut up."

Before she could respond, his lips were pressed against hers. She certainly wasn't expecting it, but she definitely enjoyed it. As she responded in turn, a slight moan of pleasure escaped her throat. Shocked by her reaction, she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuki," he whispered.

"It's alright," she reassured him, "no need to apologize."

Renji sighed, "that's not it, I'm sorry because I don't think I can continue training you anymore."

A frown of regret formed on her face as her voice sounded with a sad tone, "why not?"

Softly, he brushed his fingers across her cheeks. "Lately I've realized how much I care for you and it's becoming next to impossible for me to raise my weapon against you."

Mitsuki blushed, and then quickly pushed to her feet. Extending a hand, she pulled Renji off the ground.

"Will you still train me without the sparring? I'm sure I can find someone to practice my skill with if I need to."

"I'll continue training you under one condition," he said with a smirk.

She raised her eyebrow in a curious look, "and what would that be?"

"You have to let me take you out after each session."

A sheepish smile appeared on her face. Moving in close to him she said, "I think I can live with that." This time it was her turn to kiss him. He responded favorably, sealing the deal.

She loved the memory and hated it, all at the same time. It was a very happy time for her, but now it ripped her heart up knowing things could never be like that again. Caring about Renji was causing her a lot of trouble as of lately.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she sensed a presence outside the door. She didn't recognize who it was, but they felt strong. Preparing herself to attack, she unsheathed her Zanpakutō. Remaining under the blanket, she waited for the door to open. Slowly, and cautiously, the person entered. All she could do now was hope for patients until the moment was right.


	11. Facing Off

**A/N:** First fight scene, yay! Just to warn you, Ulquiorra may seem a bit ooc, but there's a reason for that. I hope you enjoy this one, please review.

* * *

The door to the silent room creaked as Ulquiorra entered. Inside it was dark without a hint of movement.

"Woman!" he called out, but there was no answer. He had lost sense of her reiatsu some time ago; when it didn't return he went to check on her.

Even now, in the room, he still couldn't sense her. He could hardly believe the timid young lady would try to escape on her own. Her will was broken to the point that she surrendered to the idea of serving Lord Aizen. Had she still possessed the will to leave, the sheer fear of what might happen to her friends would have her rooted in place.

As he moved in further he noticed the silhouette of curves beneath the blankets on the small bed. Surely, it could not be her, yet a part of him secretly hoped it was. Though he'd never admit it, he was growing somewhat fond of the woman. Her presence was something he'd become accustom to having. She was soft hearted and pure; and for everything he put her through, she was not cruel to him in the least. It was an unexpected behavior he wished to learn more about.

Cautiously, he approached the bed. He couldn't sense a thing and there was no movement to give away any clues. Reluctantly, he gripped the edge of the comforter and began to pull it back.

In a flash of motion, Mitsuki sprang from the bed swinging her sword. Her first strike made contact with his arm, but barely drew blood. The second strike he blocked easily. Pushing against his blade, he forced her back. His strength was more than she had anticipated. Needing space to release her Zanpakutō, she kicked hard against him, throwing them in opposite directions.

"Breathe, Haku Ryū!" she shouted the release command. Instantaneously, her Zanpakutō disintegrated and reformed over her arm. The white and red armor covered her forearm like a bracer and extended past her hand into three sharp claws. Rather than attack, she held her protected arm out in front of her. With an arrogant grin, she motioned for her opponent to come get her.

Ulquiorra let out an irritated growl in a rare display of emotion. With his weapon raised, he charged at her. Despite his speed, she blocked his attack effortlessly. When he stuck again she did the same.

"What did you do with the woman?" he demanded as she held off another of his attacks.

Still grinning she responded, "Does it matter?"

The normally cool and collected Espada was boiling with rage. His next attack forced her back, slamming her into the wall. "If you did anything to hurt her, I swear I will kill you where you stand."

Still on her feet she stepped forward. In a swift move, she swept past him striking out with her claw. Blood dripped from his shoulder as he turned to face her. With the mocking smile still on her lips, she motioned for him to attack again. This time he didn't. As he stood there, she decided to provoke some more.

"You seem upset, she must have been important to you."

His anger was palpable as he glared at her. Bitterly, he responded, "She was nothing more than trash to me." This time there was much more power in his movement. Even though Mitsuki had stopped the blade, the force behind it sent her flying through the wall behind her. Almost as quickly as she went down, she was back on her feet, hardly worse for the ware. Again she smiled and waited for him to charge.

Calming his rampant emotions, Ulquiorra just stood watching her. Since she released her Zanpakutō, she had only attacked him once and it was a fairly weak attack. All her other tactics had been completely defensive. It didn't make any sense to him. Whatever her angle was, he still hadn't figured it out.

"You look confused," she said when he still didn't come after her.

"Why aren't you attacking?" he continued with the demands.

Mitsuki laughed, "You think I should be attacking? Well if you insist."

She lunged at him, but didn't put much forced behind it. As expected, he used his sword to block the bladed claw coming at him. When she pulled back to strike again he did the same. If she wanted to, she could use her speed to land the hits, but that would only take longer to build up for her true attack. Instead she continued with the short, predictable attacks that would make as much contact as possible.

Her supposed attacks were weak and Ulquiorra was getting fed up with them. Now that he regained control of his emotions, he could focus on defeating his opponent. Quickening his movements, he was able to land a few hits against her; even though she still managed to block most of them.

Blood dripped from her arm and shoulder and she started to laugh again. Still, he stared at her with the bewildered expression.

Placing her hands together in front of her, she spoke softly, "Bakudō # 61: Rikujōkōrō."

Six beams of light suddenly formed around his middle and he couldn't move a muscle. Concentrating his reiatsu, he fought to escape it, but he wasn't fast enough. When his eyes met hers again, she winked devilishly. Next thing he knew, a heavy bolt of energy escaped her hands and he was directly in its path. There was no way to avoid it.

As the dust and debris cleared from the corner, Ulquiorra struggled to his feet. Blood poured from a number of different wounds over his body, and his bones and muscle felt half crushed. Catching his breath, he stared at the woman before him. He couldn't believe the force behind her attack. It was considerably stronger than he'd thought possible.

"Do you understand now?" she asked him, no longer smiling. Since he didn't answered, she continued to explain, "Every time Haku Ryū makes contact it absorbs a small amount of your reiatsu and stores it. The more contact that's made, the more reiatsu it stores. Once it's built up, I can channel that energy into my attacks making them considerably stronger."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he glared at her. "Do you even know who you've challenged, Woman?" Mitsuki merely raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm Ulquiorra Cifer, Espada cuatro,"

Realization flashed in her eyes. It was just her luck that she'd end up battling the fourth Espada. It did, however, explain a lot. Regardless, she'd still have to defeat him somehow; it wasn't as if he'd allow her to walk away.

Forcing the smug smile back to her lips, she continued to taunt him. "What a shame, I had expected more from an Espada."

This time instead of going after her with his sword, he shot a powerful cero at her. Although, she managed to dodge the brunt of it, the edge still caught her shoulder and drew blood. It had been just enough to distract her. Next thing she knew, Ulquiorra had pinned her to the ground with his weapon to her throat.

"Never underestimate the Espada," he said to her, his voice the calmest it had been since he walked in. Even without the smile, there was no fear in her expression. Not even pain or contempt colored her features. When others would have pleaded for their lives, she merely watched him, as if memorizing his face. Pressing his blade against her delicate neck, he drew a crimson drop of blood that trickled down her pale skin.

Something inside him demanded to know why she acted this way in the face of death. He couldn't just ask, so instead he allowed her a courtesy he rarely gave his enemies, "Any last words, Shinigami?"

To his disappointment, she remained silent.

Before he could press the blade any harder, a voice over his shoulder interrupted him. "Wait, Ulquiorra, Aizen wants this one alive."


	12. Hush

A/N: Once again, sorry it took so long to get this up, I've had to work all week. The next update shouldn't take as long. Enjoy, R&R.

* * *

In the living world, far above the replica of Karakura Town, Captain-Commander Yamamoto waited with the other captains and lieutenants. They expected, with some of the captains infiltrating Hueco Mundo, Aizen would take advantage of the unprotected town and create the King's Key. To their surprised, Aizen and his men still hadn't appeared as anticipated.

"I don't understand why he wouldn't be here," Captain Ukitake commented.

"Unless, of course, something has changed," his fellow captain, and friend, Kyōraku responded.

The Captain-Commander's voice broke in, "There are many possibilities as to why he's not here, but for the time being we will stay alert until word arrives from the others."

Nodding in understanding, the captains continued to wait patiently.

* * *

A distance away, Ichigo saw three figures headed their way. He recognized them immediately.

"Yo, Rukia, it's good to see you alive," he shouted as they neared.

"That goes for you as well, Ichigo," she yelled back.

Next to her, captain Kuchiki remained silent, visibly dissatisfied with the current situation. A few feet behind them, Hanatarō followed. The small 4th Division officer seemed quieter than usual and looked somewhat disheartened. Hueco Mundo seemed to have that effect on everyone.

"Have you heard from anyone else yet?" Rukia asked curiously.

"Not yet, but Inoue managed to slip away from her captives and find us. So as soon as we meet up with the others we can ditch this place."

Looking at Orihime, Rukia smiled. Although a bit confused, she recognized the black cloak wrapped around her friend. "How, exactly, did you end up with one of Urahara's inventions?"

As the girl opened her mouth to answer, the small pink-haired lieutenant beat her to it. "Mitsi-chan gave it to her," Yachiru exclaimed before the smile faded from her face, "but now she's stuck somewhere in that big building."

"I'm sure she'll make it out," Rukia said in her most comforting voice, "she's very stealthy, and she can beat nearly any opponent she meets."

"Unless," Orihime added softly, "it's Ulquiorra." When some of the others looked at her questioningly she explained, "He's the 4th Espada. Aizen charged him with the task of keeping an eye on me. He'll probably be the first one she runs into."

Silence fell over the group as they all felt the same feeling of dread for their comrade. They knew she would not be joining them on their trip home. As much as each of them wanted to go after her, they all knew following their orders came first.

This time it was Captain Kuchiki who broke the silence. "The Captain-Commander will likely have a rescue party sent to find her as soon as one is available. As things are, no one will speak another word of it until we have reached the Soul Society." His orders were firm and no one questioned him, although most already understood his reasoning.

It was then that Captain Unohana appeared with her lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. Following right behind them was Chad.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you in one piece, Chad, but I was a little worried for a while there," Ichigo stated as his friend approached.

The giant merely nodded his head and remained silent as usual.

In front of him, the 4th Division Captain smiled contently seeing that no one was in need of her services. Her lieutenant, however, continued to carry a worried expression on her face, as did many others.

Lastly, Captain Kurotsuchi met up with them, closely followed by Nemu and Ishida. A few yards behind them trailed the crimson-haired lieutenant with his head hung in defeat.

"This place is full of fascinating specimens, it's too bad we had to destroy a very interesting one," the captain said glaring at the others.

Renji rolled his eyes at the creepy scientist before he continued to sulk. No one dared speak a word to him for fear they might slip up and mention Mitsuki. He still didn't know she was even part of the mission, and that's how they wanted to keep it for the time being. The last thing they needed right now was to have him waste time trying to find her.

After a prolonged silence, Ichigo finally spoke, "Now that we're all here, I say we get the hell out of this place."

That said, the others agreed and ventured back to the Soul Society.

Upon their arrival, the captains set immediately to making their reports, leaving the others to return to their divisions. Rukia had decided to keep her friends from the living world entertained so they didn't cause too much trouble, and Renji took the time to look for Mitsuki.

Before he left, he knew she wanted to speak with him, but at the time he put her on the back burner. At the very least, he owed her a few minutes of his attention. Things between them had been sketchy lately. Even though they hadn't actually broken up, they hadn't spent much time together either. Most of his time the last few months had been dedicated to helping and reconnecting with his long time friend Rukia. Mitsuki hadn't said much about it, but that probably because he wouldn't give her the chance. If the conversation even hinted it was going in that direction, he'd make up an excuse and bolt. Maybe this time he would actually tough it out and listen to her.

After checking the regular places without success, he headed for the 5th Division barracks. As usual, it was nearly empty, with everyone busy with the day's work. The first person he found was a young Shinigami who looked barely old enough to fight.

"Where's your division's 3rd seat, Mitsuki Shiramori?" his words came out as more of a demand than a question. As the young man in front of him shook slightly, he realized he'd been more intimidating than he meant to be.

"Sh…She's on a mission," the young Shinigami stammered.

"On a mission where?" the lieutenant asked, trying to mellow his tone despite his irritation.

He received a very odd look from the Shinigami in front of him. "In Hueco Mundo," he answered, as if it should have been obvious.

"That's impossible," Renji insisted, becoming close to angry, "I just came back from there and she was not with us. Are you sure you're information is correct?"

"Po…Positive, you can even ask my lieutenant when she returns from the living world."

The realization occurred to him then, something had happened to her there and no one had told him. "Thank you, that won't be necessary," he said holding back his rage as much as possible and he turned to leave. Once he reached his captain's office there would be hell to pay.


	13. A Single Tear

Mitsuki struggled against the arms that pulled her forward. On her right, the man she had been fighting moments ago, twisted her arm backwards hard, eliciting a yelp of pain from her lips. His displeasure was obviously ever since he was ordered not to kill her. Of course that didn't mean he couldn't cause her a hell of a lot of discomfort. She was beginning to wish he would have followed through with his intents.

On her other side was the male arrancar that she had followed after he took the human girl. Other than a slight frown on his face, he showed no emotions. Even as she fought against his iron grip, he remained unmoved and silent. Not that his handling was gentle, but unlike his comrade he never once became rough with her either. Instead, he just continued to drag her down the hallway at the same unwavering pace, completely aloof.

She noticed between her feeble attempts to escape that a set of large doors loomed before them. As they neared them, the men restraining her came to a halt. When her resistance continued, the taller man to her left looked at her.

"Your fate is sealed, if you continue to fight it will only be more painful."

His words were meaningless to her, even if it was the truth. They were the enemy and she would never stop fighting them so long as she was a Shinigami.

All she gave him was a glare before she continued to try and break their holds again.

With a sigh, he waited for the doors to open.

Once inside, the two arrancar hauled her to the middle of the enormous room. A few other arrancar stood in lines near the walls on either side. In front of her was a tall throne covered partly in shadows. Of course she didn't need the light to tell her who inhabited the towering chair. She watched as Aizen leaned forward, showing his menacing grin.

"Third Seat Shiramori, it's a pleasure to have you joining us this evening," he spoke with that sadistic smile she wished to tear off of his face. "I see you've already made the acquaintance of the first and fourth Espada." Mitsuki, less than amused, continued to glare daggers at him. He chuckled at her reaction before redirecting his attention. "Stark, if you would, please bring me her Zanpakutō."

At the time they had apprehended her, the one called Stark had effortlessly removed Haku Ryū from her arm while the other Espada held her down. It effectively cut her reiatsu down immediately. If she couldn't defeat them with Haku Ryū, she probably didn't stand a chance without it, but she still refused to give up.

Even now as the First Espada unhanded her to bring her Zanpakutō to the traitorous captain, she fought to free herself from Ulquiorra's grasp.

Aizen laughed at her useless efforts as he grasped the Zanpakutō Stark had brought to him. "Haku Ryū, one of the most fascinating Zanpakutōs in the Soul Society, capable of increasing its wielder's spiritual powers tenfold," he explained, seemingly to himself as he twirled the blade in his hand, "absolutely incredible."

"Give it back," Mitsuki growled at him, still trying to escape the man holding her back.

"Aren't you just as feisty as ever?" he teased her. "Don't worry; you'll have it back soon enough, even sooner if you agree to my terms."

"You make me sick, you fucking monster!"

As soon as the words left her lips, the Espada behind her twisted her arm until a loud snap echoed through the open room. Falling to her knees, she howled in pain.

"You will show respect to Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra growled in her ear as he tried to steady the rage in his voice. Everything this woman did pissed him off. If it weren't for Aizen's ridiculous orders to spare her, he would have tore her to pieces, likely sating his anger in the process.

"I swear," She managed through labored breaths, "if I ever get Haku Ryū back… I will kill you."

Ulquiorra pulled roughly on the arm he'd already fractured causing her to unwillingly bow to the floor as she forced back a distressed cry.

Aizen stood, still smiling, and walked down in front of her. "This is what I've always loved about you, Mitsuki," he began as he pulled her chin up so she was looking into his eyes, "this wild, inextinguishable fire." Face to face, close enough for his lips to nearly brush against hers, he continued in a whisper, "You give into nothing, and I know you'll fight to your very last breath." Teasingly, he touched the tip of her nose with his finger, "which is why I want you to join me."

Repulsed by his actions, she lunged forward to bite him, but he pulled away at the last second with another chuckle.

"I would rather die than help you, Aizen," she spat.

"Of that, I am sure," he agreed with her statement, "however I have something that might persuade you to do otherwise." With a snap of his fingers, a large monitor descended from the ceiling and flickered to life. The picture it showed seemed to be some kind of large hollow. "Do you see this arrancar here? It's under my direct control," he continued as the video slowly zoomed out showing more and more of the picture. "Anything I command, it will do instantly." As the camera continued to zoom out, there appeared to be something clutched in its hand. Slowly the camera began to zoom in on the object.

Mitsuki gasped in shock when she realized it wasn't an object at all, but rather a person. The discernable crimson hair told her exactly who it was.

"Now do you understand?" he asked her calmly.

For a moment, Mitsuki heart froze. As she watched the video, the pain on Renji's face was undeniable. Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled to maintain her composure. She hadn't ended up in this position just to watch him die. As she was about to give in a thought occurred to her. I may have been a crazy risk, but it couldn't be any worse than the ones she'd already taken. Looking away from the screen, she began laughing.

Aizen watched her with his eyebrow raised.

"This isn't real," she told him as she continued to laugh, "It's an illusion."

His questioning look turned back into a sinister smile. "I see, so you're calling my bluff." He wasn't all too pleased with her correct assumption. If she would have given in, he would have made things easy for her. Since that wasn't the case, he'd have to punish her the only way he could.

"Kill him," he commanded the arrancar on the video. Even when it's an illusion, watching someone you love die was very painful, especially when it was your decision that determined their fate.

The smile faded from her face as she watched the arrancar tighten its fist around him. The cracking of bone and tearing of tissue sounded through the speakers. Agonizing screams filled the room and she wished she could cover her ears. She watched helplessly as the life drained from his body, biting down on her tongue to ensure she didn't beg for his life to be spared. Blood dripped from the arrancar's fist as the body it held went limp.

Unable to stop it, a single tear escaped her hold, trickling down her cheek.


	14. The Meeting

The irrational anger built as Renji made his way to his captain's office. He still couldn't believe no one had said a word to him about Mitsuki being on the missions with them. Even his own captain, who he trusted with his life, hadn't even hinted at it.

As he came to the captain's door, he barely stopped long enough to throw it open. Inside, Captain Kuchiki stood immediately as Renji came at him. His fists clenched in the captain's robes as he pushed him against the wall.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he shouted.

His captain's expression remained stern as usual, showing no emotion beyond irritation.

"Lieutenant Abarai," he said in a steady, warning tone, "remove your hands from me at once."

Hesitantly, Renji let him go and stepped backward. Even though he wanted to rip the man's head from his body, he also knew nothing good could come from angering his captain.

"You were not told," the captain began to explain, "because you would have acted irrationally, much like you are now. We didn't have enough time to wait while you tried to go after her."

"So, instead, you left her there to die?"

"She's an able fighter, more than capable of handling things on her own."

"How can you say that?" Renji protested. "She's not even a lieutenant; she had no business being on that mission."

"Of course you wouldn't have noticed. If you had paid any attention to her the last few months you'd know she's more that qualified to be a lieutenant. If it weren't for the current state of the Soul Society, she would have already been promoted. Don't underestimate her abilities; the mission would have been good experience for her."

Renji hated to hear the truth. The past few months he had been so caught up with helping Rukia that he'd failed to notice the increase in his own girlfriend's power.

"Can you at least tell me what happened to her?"

"She entered Las Noches after the human girl. Somehow she managed to help the girl escape, but she chose to stay behind, likely to avoid suspicion and buy the rest of us a little more time."

Rather than set his mind at ease like he hoped, the thought only dug at his nerves even more. He wouldn't stand by and let this happen. "I'm going after her."

"No, you're not," sounded his captain's voice. "You will wait until the Captain-Commander issues further orders. He has been informed of the entire situation and will be back in the Soul Society soon. For whatever reason, it seems Aizen has changed his plans and we cannot jump into anything right now." When the lieutenant stood there without a word, Captain Kuchiki cleared his throat and asked, "Do you understand?"

"Yeah," was all her got as Renji left the room.

* * *

Captain-Commander Yamamoto had just received the verbal report that the group from the other mission had returned. The situation in Hueco Mundo had been somewhat unexpected, but not any worse than he had hoped. Just as he'd figured, the enemy had reworked whatever was planned. For the time being, he removed his men from Karakura Town and sent them back to the Soul Society with a brief explanation to the captains. He wasn't all that comfortable with one of the higher ranking officers being held captive by Aizen, but things could have been worse.

Upon his return to the Soul Society, he requested that an appropriate search group be assembled for the retrieval of the 5th Division's 3rd Seat Mitsuki Shiramori. He also ordered that no captains join the party because they were needed as backup in case Aizen decided to attack either Karakura Town or the Soul Society.

* * *

The lieutenants of the Gotei 13 gathered for their meeting to form the search group the Captain-Commander had requested. Only a few of them would be permitted to go since the current situation with the enemy was so unpredictable.

Initially they all wanted to be part of the action, but for any number of reasons their numbers would be cut down to six by the end of the meeting. Matsumoto took charge to moderate the discussion, knowing there was no chance her caption would allow her to go along.

"Since we have so many to choose from, let's just go down the list and decide on each person individually. Starting from the top, 1st Division, Lieutenant Sasakibe."

"I'll need to remain here to assist the Captain-Commander with his duties," the lieutenant stated as those around him shook their heads in agreement.

"Alright, next is 2nd Division, Lieutenant Ōmaeda."

Although many of them weren't thrilled about the idea of dragging the useless lieutenant along, there weren't any valid reasons for him to stay behind. Matsumoto added his name to the list in front of her and moved on.

"3rd Division, Lieutenant Kira."

"I'm going along regardless," he announced. "I feel partly responsible since I helped her get a spot on the mission."

Again, no one objected, so she added him to the list as well.

"The 4th Division, Lieutenant Kotetsu will need to go for sure as medical staff," she added, not giving anyone the opportunity to say otherwise. "Next is the 5th Division, Lieutenant Hinamori."

"I should go as well," Hinamori insisted. "I also helped her get a spot on the mission."

"NO!" nearly every shouted simultaneously. They all knew how things were between her and her former captain. She had great admiration for him and she'd probably step right back into his clutches the second she saw him. There was no way anyone would allow her to go along.

Leaning back in her chair, Momo Hinamori crossed her arms over her chest and sulked slightly, knowing what everyone else was thinking, but didn't dare say.

Taking the silence as an opportunity, the 10th Division Lieutenant went on. "Next up is the 6th Division, Lieutenant Abarai."

Again, there was silence as no one would say what they all were thinking.

"Obviously, I'm going with," Renji finally said.

"It's the least you could do," Lieutenant Hisagi added, receiving a deadly glare from the red head across from him.

"Okay, then," Rangiku continued, hoping to ease the tension. "7th Division, Lieutenant Iba is next." Everyone knew he was level headed and rational as well as strong. "If no one objects, I'll add him to the list." Still no one spoke, so she continued "Moving on to the 8th Division, Lieutenant Ise.

"It's not happening, my captain won't let me out of his sight for five minutes, there's no way he'd let me go on this mission."

Everyone understood, even though they would have been happy for her assistance. With another one down, Matsumoto went to the next name.

"The 9th Division, Lieutenant Hisagi."

"I'll be going regardless as well, but I'd also like to make a request of my own. If a majority agrees, I'd like to be in charge of the group."

Shrugging her shoulders, Rangiku addressed the group, "Any objections to lieutenant Hisagi joining the mission?"

As expected, no response came. There wasn't a single lieutenant who would protest his involvement anyway, whether they agreed or not.

"Alright, all in favor of Lieutenant Hisagi heading the search group raise your hand."

All the hands in the room shot up except for those belonging to the 2nd, 5th, and 6th Division Lieutenants.

"Majority vote passes, Lieutenant Hisagi will lead the pending mission. Next is 10th Division, that's me; and my captain refuses to let me do anything fun, so we'll move on to the 11th Division, Lieutenant Kusajishi."

"I go wherever Ken-chan goes," sounded Yachiru's chipper voice.

"I'll put that down as a no. 12th Division, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi."

"I must remain her to assist with a few experiments and data analysis," Nemu said, void of emotion as usual.

"Another no, and since the 13th Division doesn't have an assigned lieutenant at this time, that is all on the list." Matsumoto looked over the list she had made, and then recapped it for everyone. Once she knew they all understood, she wrapped things up. "I'll report our decision to the captains and we will await further orders. Meeting is adjourned."

As everyone shuffled out, Renji grabbed Lieutenant Hisagi by the shoulder, forcing him to turn.

"What the hell was that comment about back there?" he demanded.

"What? You don't like hearing the truth, Abarai?" Hisagi asked as his fellow lieutenant continued to glare at him. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be in this situation."

"How exactly is this my fault?"

"You've spent the last few months chasing Rukia around while you kept Mitsuki strung along for the ride. She went to Hueco Mundo trying to prove herself to you. Her whole decision about what to do next was going to be based on your reaction. All you had to do was grow some fucking balls, and choose one. Now she trapped by herself in that God forsaken place, all because you're afraid of being alone. If we even manage to bring her back alive, I swear I'll keep you from ever hurting her again."


	15. Experimental

**A/N:** Sorry, this one's kinda short. I wrote it really fast before I went to bed so that I didn't forget it. I know it's a little slow, but it foreshadows and explains some upcoming events. Enjoy and review if you dare. *laughs evilly*

* * *

With a thud, Mitsuki hit the wall before sliding to the floor. The 4th Espada had seemingly taken a twisted form of joy in dragging her down to the single cell she now occupied. Slamming the door shut, he locked it and glared at her.

"You'll pay for what you took from me, trash," he spat at her.

"What? Are you going to try to kill me again?" she asked him sarcastically, trying to provoke him.

"When we're through with you, woman, you'll be wishing you were dead." With his final words said, he disappeared from her vision.

"Damn," she whispered to herself as she sat up against the wall. Even though the space was dark and cold, it was surprisingly dry. As her eyes adjusted easily to the newfound darkness, she focused her attention on her throbbing arm. The break could have been worse, but it still hurt like hell. She'd have to set it, and quickly to make sure it healed properly. Tearing a strip of fabric from the sheets on the bed, she bit down on it to stifle the inevitable scream from pushing the bone back in place. Once it was in place, she used a few more pieces of the sheet to create a sling. It wasn't much, but for her current situation it was the best she could do.

Pulling herself to the bed, she did all she could to relax. How long she would be here and what they had planned for her was uncertain. All she knew was that she needed to be as strong as possible to take on whatever it was her future held. Without Haku Ryū, she would heal at the normal rate for a Shinigami rather than the accelerated rate it normally allowed her. Of course, if she could relax and concentrate her reiatsu on her injury it might heal faster.

On the bright side, at least now she knew what she was up against. The Espada were stronger than she had imagined. Fighting them wouldn't be easy, but she'd do whatever was necessary to defeat them. Hopefully, the more trouble she could stir up while she was here, the less organized they would be, which could help when the Gotei 13 finally faced off against them. Even though she didn't fear death, she truly hoped it would be a day she'd live to see.

Joining the 2nd Division suddenly didn't seem so bad. Dealing with Soi Fon at her worst had to be better than having your arm broken, then being thrown into an empty dark cell all alone. Hell, anything back in the Soul Society had to be better than this. For the first time since she arrived, she thought of all the things awaiting her at home. There was her pending duel with Madarame, one she intended to use to teach him a lesson about challenging her. Then she had told Captain Kyōraku she'd have a drink with him; she could definitely go for some sake right about now. Even sitting down for tea with Captain Ukitake like she'd promised would be nice. She could almost hear the laughter as she thought about joking with Momo and Izuru.

And then there was Shūhei. Oh, how the fates were cruel. Rather than wallowing in this dark, cold, sad excuse for a prison cell, she could be happily curled up in his safe, warm arms. Man, she had royally fucked up this time. The Gods handed her a gift she was sure they had crafted themselves, and she tossed it away for what? A man she knew no longer gave a shit about her.

Maybe this was her way of punishing herself for being so blind. She couldn't see what was right in front of her, and she wasn't deserving of a gift so precious. At least now she could see things more clearly. It wasn't a rejection she needed to free her heart; all she needed was time to think things though. Now that she had, she knew she could move on, if it wasn't too late.

* * *

"So, what's the point in keepin' her alive?" Gin asked Aizen out of plain curiosity.

"I suppose you could call it experimentation," he explained. "Mitsuki Shiramori has the potential to be more powerful than she will ever realize. I'm simply going to harness that power and use it to strengthen our forces."

"How do ya plan to do that?"

"The only way I know how. I'm going to transform her into a hollow."

With the same fox like grin on his face as usual, Gin raised an eyebrow. "You've already tested that theory on strong, high level Shinigami. Ya think it might be different this time?"

"Well, of course it will be different. This time there's no outside forces to interfere," he said smiling. "We'll actually get to see the results of a full transformation. Theoretically, she should emerge void of all past memories, feelings, and thoughts. Everything she does should be based mainly on instincts and logic rather than an emotional conscience. She'll be a heartless fighting machine for us to manipulate however we please. And once she and Haku Ryū are one, she could possibly be more powerful than the current Espada."

Gin tossed the concept over in his mind, thinking of the possibilities. "I see how that could be useful, but how do ya plan to control her?"

"Control her?" Aizen said in surprise, nearly laughing at the thought. "I don't plan to control her. She'll make her own decision to join us just as the others did. We'll merely offer her freedom from the same common enemy and see to it that all her needs are met. We'll be like Gods to her. Choosing to help your maker destroy those who are hunting you isn't a difficult decision when you're barely more than an animal."

The man made an arguable point, Gin thought to himself as he left the room. They may have been Gods, but it was to a bunch of animal. He wondered what that was worth when they weren't much more than animals themselves.


	16. Unrestrained

**A/N:** My apologies for taking so long to update. It's been a busy, tiring week. I'm also going to apologize for this chapter, I just couldn't get it to sound right. So, don't hate on the love scene, I wasn't really in the mood to write it, but that's not the point. This chapters for about foreshadowing and establishing character connection. So, enjoy... R&R.

* * *

The night was restless as ever for Shūhei Hisagi. His impatience over the pending assignment only grew by the day. Nothing he did seemed to ebb the feeling of urgency that plagued him. He didn't like the thought of discounting orders, especially with how volitile the current situation was, but if they weren't sent after her soon he would be going on his own regardless of his orders.

Turning to lie on his back, he stared at the ceiling, trying to remember the last time his emotions had been this strung out, if they ever had been. It wasn't like this was the first time Mitsuki had thrown herself in dangers way, but this time he couldn't just bust in and save her. He couldn't help but think how things would be different if he had only told her how he felt sooner. She'd be here safe in his arms instead of awaiting certain doom at the hands of their enemy. Now all he could do was wait and think about what he should have done differently. With his troubled thoughts turning, he waited for sleep to seize him.

Eventually his thoughts began to grow hazy as his body relaxed. The fine line between reality and dream blended away, and he couldn't tell which occupied his mind. Around him the room remained dark, yet his eyes felt like they hadn't adjusted to the lack of light.

Through the window streamed rays of pale moonlight, breaking through the shadows to rest against the wall. As his clouded eyes started to clear, the sight before him left him stunned. There in the moonlight stood the woman who'd left him so on edge. Unable to believe his eyes, he blinked; yet the image remained.

"Mitsuki," he whispered, unsure if she could even here him, if she was even real.

The smile that formed on her full lips was answer enough. "Shūhei, I wasn't sure of what I was seeing, but you're here," she said excitedly as she sat on the bed.

Disregarding the confusion, he smiled back at her before pulling her down on top of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

Looking into her eyes, he answered, "Something I should have done a long time ago." Then framing her face in his hands, he pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't rough or forceful, but rather a gentle, needful kiss asking for permission. She didn't pull away or protest like he thought she would, but instead she parted her lips in a silent invitation. Accepting without reluctance, he slowly and delicately traced every ridge and crevice, indulging in her exquisite taste. It was better than he'd ever imagined it to be.

Deepening the kiss, he pressed his tongue to hers, in a swirling, teasing dance. She met his every motion with equal intent, but never once challenged him for dominance. When the tip of his tongue caressed her bottom lip, a soft moan escaped her throat. He smiled in amusement at her unrestrained reaction.

She felt him pulled away, breaking their contact. Gradually she opened her eyes only to see him pull the black fabric of his top over his head. The sight of the flawless body beneath her left her breathless. Surely the gods themselves couldn't rival his perfection. Transfixed by his faultless chest and abdomen, her fingers took it upon themselves to trace every sculpted muscle before her.

When he tilted his head back and sighed in approval, her need only increased. Moving to straddle his hips, she bent down and licked his exposed neck. At the contact, she felt his muscles tense. His hands glided over her bare shoulders as she continued to trail kisses down his chest. She could tell he was losing the battle with his passion.

Lightly, one of his hands found the ties at the back of her neck and tugged them loose. Unhurriedly, his fingers traced down her spine until he found the other tie at the center of her back. Once he unsecured that one, her shirt fell away leaving her breasts openly exposed. She would have blushed if her skin wasn't already burning from his touch.

In the blink of an eye, he had her pinned beneath him. "It's my turn now," he whispered, his lips dangerously close. He moved just slightly and those lips were caressing the sensitive flesh of her ear. Delicately, he placed a line of kisses down her neck and across her shoulder. She did all she could to suppress the moan threatening to escape at the feel of his mouth on her. It was a battle she lost the second he palmed her breast, barely caressing the sensitive peak.

What was left of her clothes suddenly felt overly constrictive. The need to feel his skin against hers was overwhelming. When she reached to remove his hakama she expected to be met with resistance. To her astonishment, he obligingly helped her with the task, and then moved to remove hers as well. Amused by her surprise, he smiled, "I'd never deny you this, for any reason." Then he kissed her with all the passion he'd been holding back. His words and intensity left her aching for more.

As he broke the kiss, he turned his attention back to her breasts. When his tongue skillfully teased one of her sensitive nipples, she nearly cried out. Everything he did was slow, measured, and undeniably pleasurable. His breath across the dampened skin had her whimpering with need.

Working his way down her toned, slender body, he stopped at the apex of her thighs. This girl was just full of surprises. Other than a cute strip down the center, she kept the rest completely bare. It was even better than he had imagined.

When he hesitated, Mitsuki blushed, unsure of what he was thinking. Her worries must have been written all over her face, since when he look up at her he smiled. "Beautiful," he whispered to her before lowering his head to taste her. A gasp left her lips when she felt his tongue against her. Thoughtlessly, she tangled her fingers in his dark hair as he caressed and teased her swollen flesh with expert skill. With his fingers, he pressed into her moist tight center, drawing a deep moan from her throat. Once he finally had her teetering on the edge of her passion, he pulled away.

"Shūhei," she cried, her body excruciatingly strung with want, "I need you inside me."

He fought to hold on to his control as his own body begged for relief. Very slowly he pressed his aching erection into her, careful not to hurt her. When she cringed in pain, he stopped to allow for her to adjust to his size. He kissed her deep and massaged her breasts until she relaxed. Once the look on her face was one of pleasure again, he continued until he filled her.

She could barely breathe as he withdrew and slid into her again. His pace was agonizingly slow, yet incredibly satisfying. Her body shook from the sheer pleasure of it. Being with him like this felt so right.

His unsteady voice trembled when he spoke, "Gods, you're beautiful. I've waited far too long for this."

"I'm sorry for making you wait," she whispered back to him.

Never once did his control falter as he continued to slowly drive her closer to the brink. Her sounds of pleasure and satisfaction continued to test his limits, but he held tight. When he knew she was close, he trapped her gaze. "Mitsuki," he whispered, "cum for me." The words were enough to push her to climax. Her tight muscles clenched and convulsed around him as she cried his name. Finally, he loosened his hold over his passion and found his own release.

Their sweat drenched bodies were finally sated as they rested in each other's arms. He kissed her on the forehead and rolled over to lie next to her. "I love you, Mitsuki."

The words brought a smile to her face. She was so happy she could almost cry. "I love you too, Shūhei."

After kissing her one more time, he got up from the bed. Confusion filled her eyes as she watched him. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously. Rather than answer, he grabbed his Zanpakutō and walked back to where she lay. Wordlessly, he raised the sword and impaled her chest.

Mitsuki's eyes shot open, her breathing erratic as the slight pain in her chest tapered away. The safe warm room had faded back into the cold cell she currently occupied. Once again, she was alone. At some point she had fallen asleep and everything had only been a dream. A very vivid, passionate, confusing dream, but a dream none the less.

As she propped herself up against the wall, a sound came from outside the cell. A trey of food clattered against the floor just inside the bars. Luckily, it all seemed to land unscathed. Looking up, she saw the 4th Espada watching her. Hate still reflected in his eyes as he glared at her. Dealing with him again was not something she looked forward to.


	17. Heartless

"You're lucky Aizen wants you kept alive," Ulquiorra said in disgust.

Mitsuki rolled her eyes. She was starting to get tired of hearing that. If Aizen had something planned for her, it couldn't possibly be good, and the last thing she wanted was to be reminded of that.

"I think you've made it clear that you want me dead. Why not just disregard the order and kill me anyway?"

"I have thought about it," he taunted her, "but the idea of watching you suffer is much more enticing."

His statement only confirmed her thoughts. Whatever she was in for would involve some level of pain and suffering. Not that it was surprising coming from the sadistic mind of her enemy. It just gave her all the more motivation to get the hell out of this place.

"All this over a stupid human girl," she muttered more to herself, but of course the 4th Espada had to overhear her.

"You will not speak of her like that!" he snapped at her. "She was far more important than you will ever be."

This girl was obviously a touchy subject for him, but why? What on Earth would an Espada want with a human, other than to devour her soul? It just didn't make sense. Everyone else she encountered seemed indifferent over the girl's absence. Knowing Aizen, he likely planned to have her killed when he was finished with her anyway. That seemed to be his style as of lately. The only one who seemed upset by any of it was this dark-haired, green-eyed, Espada.

"What is it that you want with her anyway?" Mitsuki asked.

"That's none of your concern," he said, his voice portraying less emotion than before. He was ready to kill her over the girl's escape, but when it came to explaining the reason he shied away. How convenient, she thought.

"I end up at the top of your death list and you're not ever going to tell me why?"

"You already know why, woman. You took away some one very important to me and that's all there is to it."

"So, what? You took away some one, or rather something, very important to me, but that's not reason enough for me to wish you dead." Truth. She didn't want him dead for helping steal Haku Ryū; she wanted him dead simply because he was the enemy, but she kept that part to herself. "It wasn't like she was your lover or anything."

Ulquiorra glared at her, "You know nothing of what she was to me."

The control over his voice wavered. She knew she was getting to him. For the first time since she'd been locked away, she was glad to be on the opposite side of the bars.

"She couldn't have been all that much. Her protests about leaving were minimal, and she went willingly, and happily."

Fury blazed in his eyes. She had definitely hit a nerve, and she found his irritation far more entertaining that she should have.

In a low voice, he growled, "If it weren't for medaling trash like you, my princess would have never left."

So, now she was his princess, was she? This conversation was only getting more interesting. Mitsuki wondered just how far she could push him. Part of her wanted to see him break. He took it upon himself to make her situation as miserable as possible; she only wished to return the favor.

"Don't kid yourself; she would have been out of her the first chance she got anyway. If not, then Aizen would have ordered her killed eventually."

"That's not true," he shouted at her. "She would have stayed by my side and I would have protected her from Aizen."

Oh, the beautiful sound of denial; how she knew it so well. When you only see what you want to see the truth of reality means nothing. Denial was what landed her here to begin with.

"Why would someone like you want to protect a lowly human from someone as powerful as Aizen?"

"Because, I love her."

Mitsuki did all she could not to laugh, sure she had misunderstood. It was a completely preposterous notion. Surely the poor thing must have been confused.

"That's impossible. You need a heart to love someone," she mocked him. "All you have is an empty black hole where your heart once was." In a flash of anger, he thrust his sword between the bars, stopping just short of her throat. When would he figure out threatening her with death was useless. Rather than pull away, she grabbed the blade and pressed it into her flesh, drawing a trickle of fluid that stained crimson against her pale skin. "And even if you are capable of some sick, twisted form of love, there's no one in this world who would love a monster like you in return."

This time he remained silent. Withdrawing the sword from her loose grip, he sheathed it. The look in his eyes bordered on sadness. Wordlessly, he walked away, leaving her alone again.

Her last words may have been overkill, but she didn't really care. She had rattled his cage, making him uncertain about his emotions that probably already confused the hell out of him. With any luck it would distract him for a while, giving her time to formulate an escape plan.

Despite the new found silence, uneasiness plagued her. Even though she couldn't see or hear it, she sensed a destructive presence. Moving to the bars, she investigated, but was met with only shadows. As the presence remained, she called out, "I know you're there. You can come out now."

Finally, the mysterious presence emerged, slowly stepping into to the light bit by bit. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to his bright blue spiked hair. Below it was a pair of intense, almost feral, light blue eyes sparkled with intent. The remnants of his hollow mask formed a jagged jaw bone over the right side of his face, and his lips were curled into an amused grin. She barely recognized him as the arrancar who was lying unconscious when they found Ichigo.

"You really let him have it," he teased, "I almost thought he was going to cry for real."

Mitsuki stared at him questioningly, unable to fathom what he was doing here. "What do you want?"

"I came across something that belongs to you," he said, sliding something between the bars in front of her. "I thought you might want it back."

Mitsuki was stunned to see the sword her handed her. "You brought me Haku Ryū," she stated in disbelief. As soon as she gripped her Zanpakutō she could feel her reiatsu building. Any injuries remaining from her previous fight healed almost instantly. Finally, she felt whole again.

Of course her excitement was limited, nothing came without a price. "Why are you helping me?" she asked him, expecting the worst.

His grin only became wider as he answered, "I want to see you kick Ulquiorra's skinny little ass."


	18. Surprise

**A/N**: I wrote the beginning and the end of this one while I was at work, then I had to come back and write the fight. It didn't work out exactly as I had planned, but what ever does. I hope you enjoy this. R&R please.

Oh and I have links to my character concepts if anyone wants to see them... quality sucks because I had to take a pic of the pic with my phone and send it. Just see my profile for the links ;)

* * *

She didn't know for sure just how many days had passed since she'd gotten Haku Ryū back. Even before that she'd lost track of the days she'd been locked away. There was no outside light to indicate the time of day, not that there was a difference between night and day in this place anyway. The sporadic visits from the arrancar to check up on her and bring her food gave no hint to any structured time. All she knew for sure was that Aizen would eventually call for her, and when he did it wasn't going to be pretty.

The cell around her was made up of a material similar to Sekkiseki, leaving her powerless to break through it. Stealing the key wasn't an option either since the only one she knew of was held by the arrogant 4th Espada, and she hadn't seen him since she called him a heartless monster. That only left one other way out. She would have to continue waiting patiently until someone opened the door.

Luckily, it didn't take long at all. Before she finished her thoughts, Ulquiorra appeared next to the door, key in hand.

"Aizen-sama has requested your presence," he spoke as he unlocked the sliding barred door.

Mitsuki already had Haku Ryū secured on her arm, hidden by the sling she had made for the arm that was now healed. All she needed to do now was get out of the cell and close enough to him to strike. Once she was in the hall it would be easier to fight him, or so she hoped.

He stood at the entrance, the door now open, waiting for her to step forward. She only stared at him, playing into her stubbornness. If she seemed too eager she'd loose her leverage. His irritation showed as he motioned for her to come to him.

"If you don't come with me of your own accord I will drag you there myself," he threatened.

When she still didn't move, he appeared next to her, threw her to the ground, and grabbed her open arm. She put up a false struggle as he pulled her out the door. The ease with which he dragged her across the floor noted his superior strength. Lucky for her, she still had the element of surprise on her side.

As soon as she worked her weapon hand free from the sling, she stabbed the blades into the arm that was pulling her. Letting her go immediately, his other hand snapped to the fresh wound just above his wrist. Slowly, bright crimson soaked through his white jacket. Before he could move away, she slashed her blades across his leg, leaving deep lacerations that stained his uniform with blood. When she went to strike again, he Sonídoed a few yards away.

"I don't know how you got that," he said drawing his sword, "but you won't see it again because I am going to kill you this time."

Springing to her feet, she attacked him before he could come after her. Her movements were fast, but not fast enough to land any hits. Every time she came at him, he blocked her attacks. However, it didn't matter. Haku Ryū absorbed reishi from anything it came in contact with, whether it was flesh or weapon. Only the flesh bled more.

The Espada's annoyance grew with every weak hit he deflected. He was quickly growing tired of her playing around, barely putting any strength into her attacks. There wasn't time for this. If she didn't want to get serious, he'd just have to kill her sooner. Speeding up his movements, he grabbed her by the arm and threw her into the wall.

Mitsuki landed with a thud. Despite the pain, she was smiling. Finally he'd decided to step things up. He would have to come after her if he wanted her dead. She'd much rather defend than attack anyway, that way she only needed to keep up with his speed.

Of course, he didn't disappoint. Full speed, he flew toward her, moving twice as fast as he had during their previous encounter. To her it was nothing. The more hits she could block, the better.

After a few failed attempts to cut her, he back off. Apparently, he'd gotten smart as well as serious. Rather than dodge, she braced herself for the cero she knew he'd fire at her. As the green mass of energy hurled toward her, she let Haku Ryū absorb the brunt of it. What remained was hardly enough to scratch her.

"I see your zanpakutō can ever absorb energy from my cero," the 4th Espada calmly observed.

"It absorbs energy from anything it touches, including your cero and yourself," she replied, charging at him for another strike. This time he didn't block it, but instead moved out of the way. It looked like he finally had her figured out. Even so, when he attacked her behind, she maneuvered around to block him again.

"There's no way around it," she warned him, "every hit I block makes contact. I'll continue to grow stronger while you slowly weaken."

"I won't be weakening anytime soon. As for your strength, it's not even worthy enough of my Resurrección." With that he attacked again, only this time rather than connecting with his sword, he used Sonído to appear behind her. In one slash, he left a gaping wound across her entire back. The liquid crimson trickled down her bare skin as she growled in anguish.

However her determination to defeat him only increased with the pain. As she spun to face him, she recited the incantation for Hadō #33. An intense wave of energy left her hands before he had time to figure out what she was doing. The blast sent him flying into another wall. Were it anyone else, the impact would have left them next to dead, but Ulquiorra emerged barely bleeding, and rather pissed off.

"Your pathetic spells aren't enough to stop me, woman."

Just as she figured, it hadn't done much damage to him, but it did slow him down. Concentrating her energy, she performed Bakudō #63. It wouldn't hold him for long so she needed to act fast. While the chains of bright energy left him immobile and confused, Mitsuki put all her strength into her attack. In a quick swipe, she nearly cut through the arm holding his sword.

With the tendons in his arm severed, his sword fell to the floor. The injury would heal quickly, but not quick enough. She held the tips of her blades against his skin, ready to impale his throat. For a moment she thought she saw panic flash in his eyes, but now they were empty and indifferent.

"Was there anything you needed to say before I end this?" she asked, allowing him the same courteously he gave her.

"I never imagined it would be trash like you that would finish me off. I should have slit your throat when I had the chance."

"But you didn't, and now this is the end. Good-bye 4th Espada Ulquiorra Cifer." Moving to sink her blades into his pale flesh, a hand wrapped around her arm bringing it to a halt. "What the…" Turning, she saw the fox like face of the former 3rd Division Captain. She loathed him as much as her own former captain. They manipulated her friends and turned them on one another, betraying the people who cared about them most like it was nothing. Oh, how she would love to rip his throat out even more than the 4th Espada's.

From somewhere behind her she heard Aizen's voice say, "My, my, I can't have you killing off my Espada now, can I? There are so few of them left as it is. Ulquiorra here was nice enough not to rip you to shreds when he fist found you. Don't you think you should do the same for him?"

Looking over her shoulder, she glared daggers at him. If she ever got the chance, she'd tear his blackened heart right out of his chest. As she tried to turn around, Ichimaru pulled her hands behind her back, keeping an extra tight hold on Haku Ryū so she couldn't use it. Even with her increased reiatsu, her struggled against the man were useless.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuki-san, but I can't let ya go. If ya were to attack Aizen-sama, it wouldn't turn out so well," he told her gently. "Just come with us and everything will be fine."

Reluctantly, she abandoned her struggles, not because she trusted them, but because it was a waste of her energy. She'd fight them, now just wasn't the time. If she could conserve her energy, she'd be better off later when she'd need it.

"I'm glad to see you're cooperating with us," Aizen said, smiling. "We have something very special in store for you."


	19. Something to Fear

This one took me all night, luckily I can't sleep at night anyway. So R&R, and all comments welcome and thanks for the review.

* * *

The Soul Society buzzed with activity. Everyone was busy organizing, training, and planning for the upcoming inevitable battle as well as carrying out their regular daily duties. A hand full of Shinigami were also preparing for various missions. Some were going on reconnaissance mission while others were simply given the tasks of fortifying both the Soul Society and Karakura Town. Then, of course, there was the group assembled for the rescue mission in Hueco Mundo.

It was a relief to know they would be leaving in three days time, although it couldn't come soon enough. A surveillance team had just returned from the living world to finally report their findings. It wasn't surprising that things hadn't changed. Whatever was happening seemed to be keeping Aizen busy in Hueco Mundo. With no indication that he would try to invade either the Soul Society or Karakura Town in the next few months, the Captain-Commander gave the orders to carry out the rescue mission.

Now, with only days left to prepare, Shūhei was learning all he could about the Espada from those who had faced off against them. He was determined to bring Mitsuki home, damned the price, and he'd take out anyone who dared get in his way. Although his comrades had defeated a number of them, there were still quite a few that might try to stop him. However, if it meant keeping Mitsuki safe, he'd kill every last one of them. Hell, he'd even kill Aizen if he needed to.

Fighting and killing weren't usually at the top of his list. It was so pointless and such a waste, but this time it just couldn't be helped. The woman he loved was in danger, and unlike his useless colleague Renji, he would risk everything for her. It would be worth any consequences just to hold her in his arms like he had dreamed.

"Three more days," he told himself. Sitting by, passively waiting, was far more difficult than he ever thought possible. Come to think of it, his whole team was getting restless. It had been over a week since the lieutenants had formed the group for the mission, and just now they were receiving orders to wait some more. It was infuriating to know he could be doing something, to know every moment wasted was one Mitsuki could be suffering. He prayed nothing bad had happened to her. Aizen had some sick, twisted ideas and who knows what he'd do with her.

With a chill he silently cursed the former captain. No one deserved to be placed at his mercy, not that he had any. The only person he despised even more right now was his own former captain. Tōsen constantly preached about peace, refusing to fight unless it was the only way to keep peace. Then he aligned himself with the one man insistent on causing conflict, death, and destruction. Now the bastard just sat back and did nothing as his monster of a leader did gods knew what to the woman he loved. With that thought, if waiting wasn't agonizing before, it certainly was now. When he finally got the chance, he'd massacre the lot.

* * *

Mitsuki continued down the long hallway without any further struggle. It wouldn't have mattered anyway since Ichimaru still restrained her arms behind her back. No, she'd have to wait until he released her to strike. The whole time he'd been holding on to Haku Ryū, though, it had been absorbing little bits of his energy that she could use against him.

"You needn't bother," Aizen said to her, still looking and walking forward, "even with Haku Ryū you cannot defeat us now. If there were a one in a million chance that you could kill us, you would never find your way out of my palace."

His words were likely meant to discourage her, but she wasn't sure. When it came to Aizen there was nothing she was sure of. She couldn't even trust her own senses with him. Everything he said and did was meticulously thought out. He knew exactly what actions would draw out the desired reactions from both his enemies and his allies. There were times it seemed as though he could actually see the future.

But all that mattered little to her. All this was for nothing if she didn't at least try to escape. She refused to end up like the pathetic human girl she'd helped free. The poor girl was so brainwashed that she didn't even know where her loyalties lied. She was virtually frozen in fear until Mitsuki mentioned her friends were waiting for her. Sometimes knowing there was something worth escaping for was all it took.

The long hallway abruptly came to an end in front of a twin pair of tall doors. Beyond was a dimly lit room, its walls lined with a number of arrancar. Other than them and a short pillar in the center, the room was empty.

"You may release her now, Gin," Aizen commanded.

As he let her arms go, he pushed her forward to the center of the room. Stumbling, she struggled to regain her balance. As soon as her feet were planted, she turned to them and fired an attack. All she could do was stare in dumbfounded shock as the ball of energy was absorbed by an unseen force field. Reluctantly, she stepped forward and placed her hands against the invisible wall as Aizen began laughing.

"What is this? What did you do?" Mitsuki demanded, trying unsuccessfully to break through it with Haku Ryū.

"I told you not to bother attacking, it's pointless," he explained. "I'll be honest, I thought it would be more entertaining to just take Haku Ryū from you and watch you struggle against the arrancar here, but the fact is in order for the transformation to work properly you'll need to have your zanpakutō with you."

"Tr…transformation?" she stuttered out.

"Well, of course, that's where the barrier comes into play. It's impenetrable and will contain you in the affected area until the transformation is complete."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Slowly, Aizen reveal a small glowing orb.

"Do you know what this is?"

Mitsuki swallowed hard, "it's the Hōgyoku."

"That's right," he smiled as he spoke.

"You can't do this to me," she screamed, panicking for the first time.

"On the contrary, it's exactly what I'm going to do to you. However, you can relax, even though the pain is excruciating, you won't remember any of it. Actually you won't remember much of anything."

Mitsuki's state of panic only increased. Why couldn't he have just killed her? "That's it," she said to herself bringing her zanpakutō to her neck. Before she made it that far, bright rods of energy pinned her in place, leaving her immobile.

"We can't have you doing that now can we. I need you alive to use you as a weapon."

"Please don't do this," she pleaded.

"You'll be thanking me when this is all over, Mitsuki."


	20. Transformation

**A/N:** This one's sort of a weird chapter, but I hope you all like it anyway. I'm getting really excited about writing the ending and it's making me impatient, but I'm trying really hard not to rush things too much. Enjoy. R&R please.  


* * *

Screams could be heard through the halls of Las Noches. Agonized pleading could barely be made out between the screams.

To Aizen's delight the transformation was progressing faster than he'd thought it would. As the Hollowfication neared the end, the screams slowly died out and Mitsuki collapsed to the floor. The white substance that had solidified over her body took the form of a sculpted white dragon, accented with swirling red stripes.

"This is interesting," Aizen noted as he continued to observe the fascinating process.

The entire transformation took less than an hour. Still Mitsuki lay on the floor unconscious. Remains of her Shinigami uniform lie strewn from one end of the barrier to the other in torn scraps of black. The white dragon formation had broken off into pieces and disintegrated, leaving only a strip that ran across the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. It reached down on both sides like long sharp teeth, resembling an upper jaw. Thickened locks of her pale hair were fanned out, framing her head. Despite her silent, serene slumber, sadness already reflected from her eyes.

When she finally came to, confusion and anger clouded her mind. Attempting to walk forward, she was met with the resistance of the barrier. After examining it with her hands, she noticed a man beyond it reveal himself.

"Who the hell are you, and where the hell am I?" she demanded from him.

The man smiled at here with amusement. "I'm Sōsuke Aizen, and you, my dear, are in my palace, Las Noches."

None of it was familiar to her. She struggled to remember anything, even her own name, but she was met with only a dark void. Frustration gripped her as she started to feel like a caged animal. Grabbing her sword from the floor, she charged at the barrier. Concentration her energy, she sliced through it like paper. In a flash, she was in front of Aizen, her sword to his throat. Her current state of nudity didn't seem to register, or perhaps didn't even matter to her as she pressed close against him.

"What did you do to me?" she growled in his face.

The smile on his face remained as he explained, "I saved you from a pathetic, dismal existence, and gifted you with a rebirth into the most beautiful, most powerful form you could ever become."

Slowly, her anger began to subside, yet she didn't retract her blade.

"What is it that you want with me?"

"I only want to help you, Mitsuki. We have a common enemy, you and I. Those who want your kind destroyed, also seek to destroy me. I can give you food, shelter, anything you could possibly need. You could live like a queen and all I ask in return is that you serve as part of my army and fight against our enemy. Together we can defeat all of them."

Finally, Mitsuki lowered her sword.

"I'll accept your terms, at least for the time being."

"Wonderful, I'm so glad you chose to join us. We'll have a uniform brought down for you right away. Ulquiorra," he called to his 4th Espada, "Would you please escort Mitsuki-san to a proper changing room and then to the meeting chamber?"

"Of course, Aizen-sama," he agreed, although he was less than pleased.

As Mitsuki left the room with Ulquiorra, Gin approach Aizen.

"I thought that barrier was supposed to be unbreakable."

"It was," Aizen spoke. "She's the only one I've ever seen destroy it."

* * *

Mitsuki walked next to the 4th Espada, covered only slightly by her stunningly lengthened locks of hair. She watched him curiously as he did all he could to avert his gaze from her.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, smiling evilly.

As much as he wanted to draw his sword and put her in her place, he refrained. Aizen had explained to him that she wouldn't remember a thing, including whatever rivalry there was between them. He was instructed to stay on as good of terms with her as possible. Rather than unleash his fury, she simply shook his head at her.

"Then why do you refuse to look at me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, woman," he stated with irritation, "you are completely naked."

"Does that make you uncomfortable?" she asked almost teasingly.

Entering the changing room, Ulquiorra shoved her against the wall and cupped one of her breasts in his hand. "Does it look like it makes me uncomfortable?"

The action shocked her, but also excited her. However, when she leaned into his touch he pulled away.

"Just put your uniform on and meet me in the hall. I'll escort you to the meeting room when you're finished," he instructed before exiting.

On the chair next to her was a neatly folder white outfit trimmed in black. Holding it up in front of her, she sighed. She would have much rather picked out her own uniform, but it would work. Quickly she slipped into it and left the room.

When she stepped out, Ulquiorra stared at her in amazement. Her uniform was unlike that of the other Espada. The top she had on secured behind her neck and came down on either side to cover her breasts. In the center was an onyx clasp that kept the fabric from falling open. As the strips of material reached down her stomach they narrowed, giving a nice view of her toned abbes and pierced navel, before connection to the bottom. Her white skirt was held up by a black sash that she tied in the back and reached nearly to her feet, flowing loosely over her curves. Rather than the typical jacket worn by the others, her shoulders were left bare. All that covered her arms were partial sleeves that reached from her wrists to above her elbows.

"You refused to look at me in my natural state, but when I put clothes on all you can do is stare at me?" she questioned him, still smiling.

Brought to his senses, Ulquiorra looked away. "Enough, woman, there's much to be done, let's go."

The walk to the meeting chamber didn't take long at all, and Mitsuki had decided not to torture him with relentless teasing, as tempting as it was. As they entered the room, every eye was focused on her. A number of Espada were already seated around the long table, however a few chairs remained unfilled. Her escort motioned for her to join Aizen at the head of the table.

Standing up he greeted her, "You look splendid, my dear." Mitsuki only shrugged with indifference, the clothes mattering little to her. "Now that we're all here, let me introduce to you, Mitsuki Shiramori. She's the newest arrancar we're created. As you all know, the Espada rank is based on your strength, power, and abilities, with the Primera Espada being the most powerful. With that said, I will be appointing Mitsuki as the New 5th Espada."

Comments erupted from the others at the table. Most of which were negative. No one seemed too pleased about the decision, especially the 6th Espada.

"There's no way this bitch is stronger than me," he growled.

Before anyone had time to react, Mitsuki was behind him with a hand fisted in his hair pulling his head back, and her blade at his neck. "If you ever call me that again I will kill you without hesitation."

Everyone else fell silent as Aizen tried to calm the situation. "Mitsuki-san, I'll have to ask that you not to threaten or engage any of the other Espada during meetings. If you would, please, have a seat, and we'll continue."

"Yes Aizen-sama," she tranquilly responded as she sat in an empty chair, "My apologies."

Nodding at her in approval, he continued on to the usual business. With the excitement out of the way, the meet was as boring as ever. Even though it was short, it was a relief when everything was wrapped up.

As everyone left, Aizen stopped Ulquiorra. "Would you please show Mitsuki to her room before you retire?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama, right away," he accepted without enthusiasm.

Mitsuki followed him down the hall until he opened the door to one of the rooms.

"This is yours," he told her. "If you need anything, just stop one of the arrancar in the hall and they will get it for you. My room's next door, and across from you is Grimmjow's room. I'd say only disturb us if you're dying, but since no one would care, I'll just leave it at don't disturb either of us at all."

"I'm glad we got that established. Is there anything else I should know, or where you planning to stay while?" she teased some more.

With an irritated sound, Ulquiorra left the room slamming the door behind him.

* * *

With everyone gone, Gin approached Aizen about his plan once more. "So why'd ya make her the 5th Espada? We both know she's strong enough to surpass even Starrk."

"That may be true, but no one else knows that, not even her. I don't see any reason for her to know how powerful she truly is. As long as she thinks she's only strong enough to be the 5th Espada there should be no trouble keeping her in check."


	21. Release

**A/N: **This chapter should have been done five days ago, but I put off writing the fight scene until today. On a positive note, it describes Mitsuki's resurrección. I might try to draw it one of these days, but the description is pretty good. So I hope you all enjoy, and a huge thanks to those who reviewed! You making this story worth writing.

* * *

Wandering the cool sands outside Las Noches, Mitsuki tried unsuccessfully to recall how she'd came to be here. The thoughts, of course, were useless, but there wasn't much else to do at the present time. This place was unnervingly boring.

With her sword, she cut down another little crystalline tree before sitting on a large, flat rock. Everything, as well as everyone, here was so cold and lifeless. Things were always dark and even the artificial sunlight in the dome felt somewhat voided. No one seemed to have much of a personality either, accept for that blue haired guy. However, his blatant disrespect helped earn him a spot on her shit list. That pale fellow was kind of fun, though. Trying to get a rise out of him had been entertaining as hell. As interesting as her day had began, she was severely disappointed with how uneventful it was turning out to be.

Aizen had suggested something about taking a Fracción for herself. It could help solve her boredom issue since they would be hers to command, but she found the whole practice pointless. When it came down to it she'd end up doing everything herself anyway since any Fracción she might have would be too weak to do the job. No, she'd just have to find some way to entertain herself.

A smile came to her face as an idea took shape. Like a wave, she flared her reiatsu, curious as to who might feel it and come running. Within minutes, the 6th Espada appeared in front of her.

"I figured you'd be the one to show up," Mitsuki said unsurprised.

"Shut up and raise your weapon, woman."

"I see," she calmly retorted, drawing circles in the sand with the tip of her sword, "you're quite eager to fight me so soon."

The blued haired Espada snorted, "I thought at one point you were stronger than Ulquiorra, but you couldn't even kill him. Now that I have my full strength back, I highly doubt you'll beat me, despite what Aizen seems to think. A pathetic, weak woman like you doesn't deserve the title of 5th Espada."

Mitsuki sighed, not completely sure what he was talking about, "Fighting is so bothersome, but I suppose there isn't anything else for me to do right now. Can we at least make it interesting?"

"You don't think I'm interesting enough to fight?"

She shook her head, "If there's something worth winning, then it might be worth my time to battle you."

"How about your life?" he asked, growling at her.

Again she sighed, "My life is meaningless; I do not fear losing it. I was thinking something more fun." Although irritated, he did raise an eyebrow to her comment. "You see, Grimmjow, if you win I'll be dead, so you'll have gotten what you want. However, your death is of no use to me. If I beat you, and decide to let you live, I want something in return. If I win, I want you to serve under me for, lets say, a week."

"Are you kidding?" he nearly laughed. "That's what Fracción are for."

"I do not wish for a true Fracción, they are too weak, but you might be strong enough to be of some use to me. You might as well accept my terms unless you've lost all confidence in your abilities."

She made a good point. He had no intention of losing to her. Once he rid the world of her, he'd continue on to the next obstacle in his path. Nothing was going to stop him from becoming the strongest.

"Whatever," he huffed, "it won't matter either way because you'll be dead when this is over. If placing a wager will make you fight then I'll agree to it. Now let's get on with it."

"As you wish," she spoke, jumping to her feet. Although she contemplated it, she refrained from administering the first blow. She could have put enough power behind it to end this immediately, but then she wouldn't get to have any fun with it. Instead she remained in place while the blood hungry Espada circled her as if she were his prey.

The grace and beauty of his movements was surprising to her. He literally stalked her like an animal. Too bad he didn't realize how dangerous of an animal she was.

When he finally attacked, she caught his blade with her bare hand. She thought about tearing the sword from his grip, but once again that would end things too soon. Effortlessly, she tossed him to the side.

With a growl, he landed on his feet and charged at her again. This time she blocked his attacks with her own blade, not that she needed to, but she didn't want things to get boring. She even went as far as to counter attack so looked like she was trying.

"If you're planning to beat me, you'll have to get more serious. These weak attacks will get you nowhere," she taunted him.

He growled in response, "I was just testing the waters, now I'm going to destroy you for real."

This time, however, he kept his distance, choosing to fire a cero at her instead. Even though it was a fairly powerful attack, she could have absorbed it or taken the impact with little damage, but she decided to use her speed to dodge it this time. Her options were very open on how to proceed. If she continued to dodge his attacks, he would use up his energy and tire out; if she took the effort to attack, she could finish him in one blow. Neither of those sounded like much fun though, she'd much rather toy with him a while. Not only that, but she was curious as to what his resurrección looked like.

Appearing behind him, she called out, "Not even close. What did I tell you about getting serious? Are we having a fight here, or a tea party?"

Struggling to catch his breath, Grimmjow was utterly pissed. He should have been able to crush her like the pest she was, yet his attacks did little to damage her in anyway. At this rate, he'd have to release his resurrección to defeat her. Admitting it only to himself, he confessed she was stronger than he'd given her credit for.

"Is that the best you've got?" she asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Far from it," he responded, preparing to release his powers. "Grind, Pantera!"

Mitsuki watched as his body distorted into that which reminded her of a great white cat. His hair had lengthened considerably and he looked much closer to what a hollow should look like. Although his resurrección was intriguing, she wouldn't go as far as to say it was incredible by any means.

"Pantera, huh? So, you're just a big kitty cat then?" she asked mockingly.

In irritation, Grimmjow fired a number of explosive darts at her. Despite their power, they only singed the exposed skin on her hands, shoulders, and chin, causing no real damage.

She dusted herself off, still smiling wickedly. "Now we're getting somewhere. I'll make one more deal with you, Grimmjow. If you can manage to draw blood from me, I will show you my resurrección."

That was all the motivation he needed. Revealing his most powerful attack was something he wanted to avoid, but if it meant he could fight her at her strongest then he'd do it. The psychotic smile returned to his lips as his claws began to glow and extend.

"What is this?" Mitsuki asked curiously.

"This is my greatest technique, Desgarrón. This is what I'll use to tear you apart."

Mitsuki stifled a chuckle as she braced for the impact of his attack. There was no way his attack could kill her, but he seemed to think it was powerful enough to do some damage. She could easily avoid any possibility of that simply by dodging the attack, but she wanted to know how powerful it really was, so she decided to take the hit full force. The claws of solidified energy tore across her chest and stomach, ripping through both cloth and skin. Although the cuts weren't terribly deep, blood from them soaked her tattered white uniform. On her left side the cloth had fallen away leaving her breast exposed.

Grimmjow stared at her in disbelief. He was shocked she was still standing after that. She wiped the splattered blood from her chin and smiled at him.

"That was a rather powerful attack after all," she commented, lacing her fingers around the hilt of her sword. "I suppose I had better keep my word to you, though. You did manage to draw blood after all."

The 6th Espada's surprised expression molded into a feral grin. Even if he couldn't beat her, he would be the very first to see her resurrección. He watched as she raised her sword in front of her and spoke the release command.

"Breathe, Haku Ryū."

In a flash of white light she emerged anew. White and red scale armor covered her arms, legs, waist, and chest, while sharp talons extended from her hands and feet. A helmet depicting the likeness of a dragon's face adorned her head with the bottom jaw protecting her neck. Her long hair reached nearly to the ground, cascading between a set of large white wings that rose from her back, and a long tail circled out to rest on the ground near her feet.

Grimmjow stared in awe at her new form. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen from the other Espada. She was certainly one of a kind.

"Is that form as powerful as looks or is it just for show?" he asked, trying to agitate her.

Of course it was useless, she only laughed at him again. "Oh, there's power behind it. I'll demonstrate for you."

That fast, she appeared behind him and threw him to the ground. Pinning him there, she embedded her talons in his chest. It wasn't deep enough to cause life threatening damage, but she didn't need it to.

Although it was painful, Grimmjow had expected more from her. Smiling, he asked her, "Is that the best you got, woman?"

"You don't feel any different?" she said, smiling back.

The grin faded from his face as he understood what she meant. His reiatsu had dropped significantly and continued to plummet.

"What are you doing to me?" he demanded from her, in a state of near panic.

"That's what Haku Ryū does. It absorbs my opponent's energy so I can use it for my own attacks. But don't worry, I won't actually attack you. You're no good to me dead. When I'm done here you won't be able to move anyway."

"Damn you," he choked out, unable to fend her off.

The second he lost consciousness she retracted her talons. She debated leaving him there to make a point, but decided against it. If she wanted him at full health for the next week, she'd have to replenish his reiatsu which would be best done in Las Noches. Effortlessly, she lifted him and carried him back to his room, ignoring the stares of those she walked past. It would be an interesting week for sure.


	22. Demands

**A/N: **Well, this one turned out longer than I had planned, but it just kinda wrote it self and I couldn't stop it. ;) Big thanks to ninjamonkey20 for the reviews, they inspire me to keep working on this. Only a few more chapters to write and it will be complete. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this one. R&R

* * *

Grimmjow awakened to the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. He didn't know how he ended up there, and he didn't really care. The last thing he remembered was the most magnificent resurrección he'd ever witnessed followed by what felt like his life being sucked out of him. He also vaguely remembered something about a bet, but he'd rather forget that part all together. The only thing worse than being in debt to a woman for letting you live was serving one for a whole week.

A sound from next to the bed caught his attention. Looking over he spied the woman who'd caused him so much trouble. Wishing he'd stayed unconscious, he closed his eyes again hoping she hadn't yet noticed him. He should have figured he'd have no such luck.

"I see you're awake," she said, smiling at his efforts to avoid her. "How do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks," he answered her sarcastically. "How much did I miss?"

"Not very much, you've only been out a few hours. I made sure to replace most of you reiatsu so you'd still have the strength to serve me for a week."

He groaned, once again remembering the ridiculous bet he'd agreed to. The thought crossed his mind to kill the woman in her sleep to get out of it, but with his luck, she probably didn't actually sleep anyway.

"So when exactly does this week start?" his voice sounded less that interested.

"I considered it started as soon as you accepted the bet. It almost wasn't fair since I knew I'd beat you from the beginning. In my defense, you didn't have to accept the wager."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes at her as he sat up in bed. They both knew she would have never agreed to fight him if he hadn't accepted her terms. However, seeing her resurrección may have been worth getting his ass kicked over. Of course whether or not it was worth the upcoming week of torture was yet to be determined.

"So what are you gonna have me do first?" He was more than ready to get this over with.

"I'll need you to escort me to dinner," she explained, tossing him his jacket.

"Are you serious? You're plan is to disgrace me before everyone?"

"Not at all; I have no intention of telling anyone of our current agreement. It's more fun to let them draw their own conclusion. Plus, dinner is more for you than me anyway."

He stood turning his back to her. "Fine, but don't expect me to hold your little hand or anything."

Mitsuki chuckled, "Actually, I was hoping I could follow behind you, since you know your way around and all."

That was something he couldn't argue with. At least this way no one would mistake him for her would be fracción. Not to mention he could use some grub right about now.

The strange stares from the other arrancar on their way to the dining hall left him uncomfortable. If he'd had the energy, he would have given every one of them an ass beating.

"What's with these guys? It's like they've never seen an Espada before," he stated in disgust.

"That may be my fault," Mitsuki admitted, "I had to carry you back to your room and a lot of them had seen that."

"Good to know everyone thinks I need a woman to take care of me. At least they don't know how bad you kicked my ass."

"Actually," she began, still walking behind him, "with the way our reiatsu was flaring, it wouldn't surprise me if they figured out we were fighting."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Grimmjow scowled with more irritation than usual. On the bright side, she was still the one following him; that had to have some sort of impact on whatever assumptions were roaring through everyone's brain. The only thing that occurred around here more often than bloodshed was boredom and gossip. Never a good combination, usually fueling the conflicts leading to said bloodshed. This was no exception. If even one person said the wrong word to him about it, he'd kill them on the spot.

Mitsuki watched him with amusement. Although his back was to her, she'd catch glimpses of his face as he turned to shoot murderous glares at a number of arrancar along their path. He looked like he was being put through pure torture, and she couldn't help but smile about it.

She made sure to give him plenty of space while they ate, sitting close enough to converse if he so desired, but far enough away that they didn't look suspicious. For the time being he seemed satisfied with her actions, focusing his murderous intent on those watching rather than her. He remained silent until his plate was nearly empty, and then addressed her, "What's next on your agenda?"

"That depends, how are you feeling?"

"I've never felt better. Are you planning something strenuous?"

"In a sense," she confessed, "but I'm sure you can handle it. I will, however, need you to escort me back to my room. I don't know that I'll ever get used to the size of this place."

With a sound of irritation, he stood and led her back to the room across from his. When they reached the door, she invited him inside. Her politeness was rather aggravating since it wasn't what he'd expected. He figured she'd be barking orders at him left and right, but instead she'd only asked him to do reasonable tasks that benefited him as much as her. Try as he might, he couldn't figure out her angle and it pissed him off.

"What do you want me to do now?"

Wandering to the vanity, Mitsuki picked up a silver brush and began combing through her pale locks.

"Tell me about the last 5th Espada," she requested of him.

"Why do you want to know about Nnoitra?" Grimmjow asked, raising his eyebrow. "He was a ruthless, bloodthirsty psychopath who had more sadistic ideas than anyone I've ever met. The immoral bastard was as likely to slit your throat as you slept as he was to chain you up and torture you."

"That would explain the chains mounted to the wall," she commented, glancing at the wall by the bed, thankful that Aizen had all new furniture brought in for her.

For the few times he'd been in the room, this was the first time he'd noticed the restraints. Although, he wasn't surprised knowing how Nnoitra was. He could hardly remember a time when there weren't screams coming from this room. It had been almost a relief that he was no longer around.

Mitsuki finally put the brush down and approached the 6th Espada. Turning her back to him, she held her hair up leaving her back and neck exposed.

"Would you mind unclasping this for me? It's hard for me to reach."

Reluctantly, he reached for the clasp, brushing his fingers against the back of her neck. His hands clumsily fumbled with the tiny hook as he tried to unlatch it. The constant distraction of her soft skin beneath his fingers didn't help matters. Why the hell was he doing this anyway? Couldn't she find something better for him to do? As he finally worked the clasp free, he inadvertently let his fingers linger on her back until she moved away.

Right in front of him she peeled away her uniform. If he were any kind of gentleman he would have looked away, but they both knew he wasn't. He was captivated as her top fell away, revealing perfect breasts that were a little more than a handful. Her creamy skin was so tantalizingly tempting that he found himself licking his lips. As she pulled away her skirt, her luxurious, toned legs came into view leading up to her perfectly rounded ass. He felt a rare heat rise in his cheeks at the sight of her. With her clothes discarded on the floor, she walked up to him as if her nakedness was the most natural thing in the world.

"Do you have any inhibitions, woman?" he managed to ask, his voice not yet betraying him.

"Inhibitions are for humans," she stated, snaking her arms around his neck.

His hands seemed to move to her hips involuntarily. Despite his efforts, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Everything about her drew him in like an insect to a bright light. Even her maddeningly sweet scent enticed his very needs. When her lips brushed across his neck he shuttered.

"Wha…what are you doing?" he whispered, becoming slightly breathless.

"Whatever I want," was her sensual response as she nibbled on his ear. Teasingly she kissed her way down the side of his neck. As her teeth sank into his sensitive flesh, he nearly lost his composure.

It had been far too long since he'd last had a woman in his bed, if the female arrancar in this place could even be considered women. What he certainly had never had was a woman this powerful, not that there was much of a choice in that. Nelliel had been secretly hung up on that Nnoitra before she vanished, and Harribel, after her, wouldn't settle for anyone other than Starrk, and even that was casual. Part of him was actually excited by the prospect of taking her, as irritating as she'd been to him until now. Maybe there was something she was good for after all, other than kicking his ass anyway.

The feel of her tongue licking the blood away from his heated flesh had his domineering instincts howling for control. Roughly, he slammed her against the wall. If this was what she wanted then he had no issue giving it to her. With his body, he pinned her in place, holding her wrists above her head.

At her slight gasp of surprise, he captured her lips with his own, waging a relentless assault on her mouth. His tongue swirled with hers in a fiery dance for dominance as her sweet, exquisite flavor filled his senses. Damn, but this woman was intoxicating.

His free hand worked its way to her breast, and his fingers squeezed lightly on her already peaked nipple until she moaned heavily into his mouth. His lips lifted into a devilish grin as he left a trail of kisses across her jaw and down her neck. Playfully, he nipped and bit at her velvety skin.

As his teeth scraped against her delicate flesh not quit rough enough to draw blood, she lifter her leg to his waist. Just as she'd hoped, the hand binding her wrists dropped down to support her leg. With her now free hands, she tugged away his clothing, lingering over his taught muscles. As he lowered his mouth to her breasts, she raised her fingers to coil in his wild blue hair. Everything he did to her felt electric, leaving her increasingly hot and wanting more. Yet despite the pleasured rush she was feeling, it wasn't enough. She needed to be the one controlling things and bringing him to his knees.

Catching him off guard, she used her strength to force him to the bed. She smiled with wicked intent as she leaned over him and caught his lower lip between her teeth. An incoherent curse left his mouth when her fingers curled around his throbbing erection. As she slowly stroked up and down she heard his breath catch. She watched him as he fought back a groan that wanted to escape his throat.

For the first time ever, Grimmjow felt torn about what to do. His instincts demanded he put this woman in her place. No one over powered him to take what they wanted from him. He couldn't allow it, yet the delightful things she was doing to his body felt too damn good to end. Her seemingly expert hands had him struggling to hide his transparent reactions. It was bad enough she'd taken things over, he didn't dare let her know just how much control she truly had here.

Against all that his body was feeling, he rolled her over and pressed her against the mattress. Relieved to be in charge again, he held her wrists in one hand as the other trailed down between her legs. As he circled his thumb over her sensitive flesh, he pressed two fingers into her tight, damp entrance. Unlike him, she didn't try to hide her reactions. She mewed in delight at his relentless ministrations. The need to taste her rose with her tantalizing scent. Before he could get a grasp on his actions, he was already between her thighs, sampling the sweet heat that waited before him. His tongue flicked at her sensitive clit, gentling sucking at the delicate flesh from time to time, as his fingers continued to massage her pleasure zones from the inside.

She withered under his lips, the need for release coursing through her body. When he finally pushed her over the edge, she cried out, her body contracting to his touch. The grin on his face suggested he thought he'd won. Before her body had even calmed, she pulled him beneath her and latched the chains to his wrists.

"What the… you did not just do that," he growled out in disbelief.

"Oh, I very much just did that," she smiled at him before lowing herself onto his erection.

His body arched and his protests were forgotten as the sneer on his face melted into that of abandoned pleasure. He wanted to resist, but it was useless. No mattered what he tried his body refused to cooperate, reacting instead of its own accord to the woman on top of him. She pressed against him roughly, riding him fast and hard. It hadn't been what he'd expected from her, but he reveled in it. As she brought herself to another climax, her body carried him to his own.

She collapsed on top of him completely spent, as she listened to his erratic breathing. The chains rattled as he tried to adjust his arms.

"Get these damn things off me already," he said, sounding less than demanding.

After some thought she complied, deciding she probably wouldn't need the chains to get her way anymore.

"You may go for now if you wish," she told him as she rolled next to him on the bed.

He propped himself up with one arm as an evil smile crossed his lips. "What makes you think we're done here?"


	23. Infiltration

**A/N:** Not the most exciting chapter, but it's short and to the point... I had to do something boring before gracing you with the awesomeness of the next chapter. I also want to give a huge THANK YOU to **ninjamonkey20**,** Glamzuki**, and** supertuxedocat** for your reviews! You guys are absolutely wonderful! I hope everyone enjoys. R&R

* * *

A large Garganta opened up in the eternal night sky. Through the blackness stepped six shinigami, feet landing swiftly on the white sands. The lieutenants surveyed the desolate space known as Hueco Mundo. Before them loomed the ominous domed palace where Aizen kept his army, and his prisoners. All they needed now was to find Mitsuki.

"Let's split up from here. Kira and Abarai, come with me. Iba, Ōmaeda, and Kotetsu, you take the other side," Lieutenant Hisagi ordered after assessing the condition of Aizen's new home.

Nodding their heads, everyone complied, three of them disappearing around the corner. The other two followed close behind him.

As he stepped forward toward the massive hole in the wall before him, Renji caught his shoulder. With an apologetic look in his eyes he addressed the lieutenant, "I know how much she means to you. We're going to get her back."

He was slightly surprised by the reassurance. At some point the young lieutenant's attitude had changed, but then again so had his own. If they were going to help Mitsuki they would need to work together. Placing the blame on Renji for this whole situation had been rather unfair of him. Everyone made their own choices and in one way or another they were all equally responsible for the way things ended up.

"You're right," he nodded to the red headed man with all seriousness, "we are going to get her back." With that they stepped into the darkness that awaited them.

* * *

Mitsuki lay sprawled across a large flat rock under the warm false sun that lit the desert like dome. Her arm was draped over her face to block out the light as one of her legs swung loosely over the edge. A foot away, Grimmjow sat lazily on another rock, secretly enjoying the orders she'd given him to accompany her for no apparent reason. Part of him was going to miss it when this week was over, although he'd never admit that to anyone. He wondered if she would treat other subordinates this way. As much as he hated taking orders from a woman, he felt rather spoiled since he didn't mind doing anything she'd asked of him so far. Not to mention some of the other benefits he'd had this week, including her body to himself. That was one thing he hoped would continue even after this was all over. That alone was almost worth serving her. However, something would have to be done about her need for dominance. He needed to be the one in charge if things were to continue.

He growled as a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Standing a few yards away was Ulquiorra, looking less than impressed with their laziness.

"You are aware a group of Shinigami has entered Hueco Mundo, aren't you?" he asked sternly, glancing at their relaxed forms.

"I was wondering who those weird reiatsu belonged to," Mitsuki stated, not bothering to open her eyes.

Ulquiorra regarded her with irritation, "We should dispose of them quickly so their presence is no longer an issue."

"He's right, we should take care of them before they try to come get you and cause more problems," the 6th Espada agreed as he stood.

She wasn't sure what she had to do with any of this, but she wasn't about to waste time tracking down these intruders. "Sit back down, Grimmjow," she commanded softly. "If they really are here for me then we should just sit back and let them find their own way to their deaths."

The black-haired Espada lifted an eyebrow at her. "As much as you may wish for you own death, woman, you serve Aizen and he wants you alive."

She laughed, letting her arm fall away from her face, "Oh, I've no intention of dying. In case you haven't noticed, they've separated into groups of three and went in different directions so we won't have to face them all at once. There are also three of us, and unless you're afraid of these Shinigami, we should have no problem terminating them one on one."

"If we wait for them to find us we lose the element of surprise," Ulquiorra protested, refusing to acknowledge the valid point she made.

"Well, I won't stop you if you feel you're not strong enough to defeat them without that advantage. I for one won't insult my own strength by doing such a thing. You're more than welcome to wait here with us if you want," she stated before pulling her arm back over her eyes.

As Grimmjow settled himself back on the rock next to Mitsuki, Ulquiorra cursed himself for giving in. He wasn't one for proving himself, but in this case he refused to let this woman call him weak. Taking a seat on the ground near the other two, he settled in to wait with them.

* * *

Aizen laughed grimly at the expected reports. He knew the Soul Society would send a group to bring Mitsuki back, but he also knew she was strong enough to destroy them all if she wanted to.

"Should we send someone after 'em?" Gin asked, referring to the Shinigami who were currently infiltrating the castle. He noted the three arrancar lounging leisurely under the dome. "Your Espada don't appear very busy at the moment."

"That won't be necessary this time," Aizen explained. "It should be plenty entertaining just to let them find her."

"Are ya sure she can handle them? They are lieutenants after all."

"I've no doubts about her ability to handle them. She could probably defeat even us if she ever felt the need to."

"That's a disturbing thought," Gin stated, still sporting his usual smile

"True, it is, but we have nothing to worry about, she's all our. The uninterrupted Hollowfication process destroyed what there was of her shinigami soul, and if there is any of it remains, it's disintegrating as we speak. She wouldn't go back with them even if they wanted her to, for they are now her enemy."


	24. Torn

**A/N:** Thanks for the patience with this one. I had it mostly written weeks ago, but I've been too busy to finish it until now. I hope everyone enjoys it. One more after this one.

* * *

Racing through another barren hallway, Hisagi strained his senses trying to feel her again. Twice now he picked up on flares of reiatsu that had to be hers, although it did feel a little off. He needed to find her, and fast.

"We need to hurry," he said, increasing his speed. "I can sense her reiatsu, but it doesn't feel normal, something is definitely wrong."

Renji and Izuru followed suit behind him.

"She's not alone either," Izuru was quick to point out. "There are at least two other strong reiatsu with her, probably guards of some sort."

"They feel like Espada level," Renji added, having had experience against them. "They'll be tough, but since we outnumber them we should be able to take them out quickly."

"We do whatever is needed to save her, understood?" Hisagi commanded the other two men.

Neither protested, knowing they'd all do anything for Mitsuki; they were her closest friends after all.

* * *

"They're slow as hell," Grimmjow complained, itching to destroy something. "Flare your reiatsu again, Mitsuki."

"A little impatient are we?" she asked, complying with his wishes anyway.

He only glared at her before focusing his attention back on his weapon.

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was calm as usual, lacking any kind of emotion what so ever; or so it seemed. Inside, a part of him still seethed with anger at his loss. Yet, he couldn't take it out on her like he wanted to. The Arrancar Mitsuki had no recollection of the shinigami who took away his woman. No, she wasn't even the same person any more. He should just take her for himself, damned what Grimmjow thought, just to replace what he'd lost. However, that wouldn't fill the void that was once filled by a heart he was just beginning to understand. No, he'd just have to take out his bottled up anger on the retched shinigami who were infesting his home.

"Ulquiorra," Mitsuki's voice broke his thoughts, "you look ready to tear someone to pieces."

"That's because he is," Grimmjow interrupted, knowing the source of the 4th Espada's anger.

"Well good, because I sense our guests are about to break through that wall over there," she said, pointing to the wall in front of them.

Seconds later the spot she pointed out exploded in a cloud of dust and debris. Slowly the dust settled unveiling three male shinigami with raised weapons. Try as she might, Mitsuki couldn't take her eyes off the surprisingly attractive men who appeared before her. Yet, at the sight of them, she felt something strange ripple through her being.

"Mitsuki," Shūhei gasped in shock, pain and confusion coloring his dark eyes. Even in her current state, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, perhaps even more so than before she left. There was an untold desperateness in her eyes that he wanted to chase away. Surely it wasn't too late for her. "What happened to you?" he asked in concern as he stepped towards her.

He didn't make it far before the two male Espada stepped in his path, blocking him from her.

"No one touches Mitsuki," growled the wild blue-haired man. His defensiveness shocked everyone. It wasn't like Espada, especially Grimmjow, to stand up for one another, more or less protect each other.

Mitsuki couldn't help but grin. It seemed he'd taken this serving her thing far more serious than she'd thought. Not only that, but Ulquiorra even held a defensive stance before her, and that had her ever more surprised.

The red-haired shinigami bared his teeth at Grimmjow. "Just try and stop me," he taunted, trying to lure the 6th Espada away from Mitsuki. His strategy worked as the man engaged his sword.

"She's ours and she's not going anywhere with you."

"We'll see about that," Renji said forcing the Espada further away so they could fight at a safe distance.

Catching on to his comrade's plan, Izuru did the same with the other male Espada.

"I don't know what happened to the Mitsuki I remember, but you're going to pay dearly for it," he said, trying to provoke the man.

"It's a shame you won't live long enough to follow through on that threat," the green-eyed Espada responded as they moved away from the others.

Mitsuki stood watching the man in front of her, fighting the unwarranted guilt rising from her stomach. Trouncing down the uncomfortable feeling, she forced a smile at him. "It was nice of them to leave me with the sexy one of the group," she teased him. "We don't have to fight, you know. I can think of other ways to use our energy."

Hisagi stared at her. This wasn't the Mitsuki he knew. His girl would never speak so boldly. "You're right, Mitsuki," he agreed, trying to appeal to her, "if you come with me we don't need to fight, we can do anything you'd like. All I want is to take you home."

She laughed at him, more sinister than he'd ever heard, "you must be mistaken, I'm already home, and I've no intention of leaving."

That was not what he wanted to hear. Of all the scenarios he prepared for, this was the one he never saw coming. There had to be some way to get through to her.

"Mitsuki, please," he begged her, "come with us. We're your friends and we came all this way to save you."

Sharp, blurred images of confusion pulsated in her head. Closing her eyes, she pressed her hand against the back of her head in hopes of easing the sudden pain. Although the pain lessened, it didn't subside completely. With an arrogant smile, she opened her eyes to see him again.

"Do I look like I need saving?" she asked him as she drew her sword. "I have no friends," she continued, her tone darkening, "and certainly none the likes of you."

Her words tore through him. Even though he knew this wasn't her, it didn't make it hurt any less. He struggled against the attack as his sword came down on hers.

"You don't have to do this, Mitsuki."

"Actually, I do. You're the enemy and you must be destroyed before you destroy us," she said as she attacked him again.

"Just try to remember us," he pleaded with her, "try to remember me."

Again the pain returned to her head, this time spreading to her temples as images of the man before her appeared in her mind. She fought against her body's will to collapse. A strange ache manifested itself in her chest as she tried to force her blade against her enemy.

"I don't know what you're doing to me," she growled at him, "but I will kill you for it."

This time she attacked without holding back. The force sent him sprawling backwards against another wall, wincing on impact. As she came in for another attack, he pinned her in place with the chains of his zanpakutō.

"What must I do to get through to you, Mitsuki? I came here for you, we all did. Please don't do this."

"You came to exterminate me, and I won't allow it. Release me, now!"

"That's not true; I only want to keep you safe. Please, come with us."

"Never!" she screamed, concentrating her energy to break the chains. "Breathe, Haku Ryū!" What came next was unexpected. A huge explosion erupted from where the young arrancar stood bound. Hisagi barely had time to erect a barrier to absorb most of the impact. The other, however, were left without warning, taking the full impact of the blast. Both the arrancar and shinigami who were just fighting now lay unconscious in the sand. Mitsuki now stood free, in her released state, face to face with the man she was bent on destroying. The conditions of her companions meant nothing to her as she focused on her current target.

"As I said, I'm going nowhere with you," she repeated, preparing to attack him again. Despite his efforts, she managed to pin him to the wall, claws embedded in his chest. "This will be your end, Shinigami."

"Mitsuki," he choked out between breaths, "please don't do this… I… I love you."

She withdrew her claws as her body collapsed in pain. Her memories flooded back in an ocean of images. She saw everything; her friends, her family, her life before. There were images of everything she knew, everything she feared, and everything she loved; and then there he was, the man before her.

"Shūhei…," she whispered, tears streaming down her face, "This… this isn't me."

He hushed her as he pulled her into his arms, "I know, Mitsuki, I know."

"No, you don't know, I don't have much time. This part of me is fading away and quickly. You need to stop me before it's too late."

"What do you mean? All I want is to bring you home, just come with me."

"I can't," she cried, pulling away from him. "They've changed me; I'm not the same Mitsuki anymore. Please listen to me. It's too late. If you don't stop me now, things… things will end badly. In this form, my zanpakutō allows me nearly limitless power, and I'm no longer in control of that power. If you don't kill me now, Aizen will be unstoppable." Tears streaked her face as she pleaded with him.

"I can't do that, Mitsuki, you ask too much of me. I've come this far and I won't leave without you."

"You're not listening to me, Shūhei. The arrancar that I've turned into will take over; the woman you once knew will be lost forever. There is no saving me. I'll be just another one of Aizen's tools in his quest for power. The only way I can be at peace is if you destroy me."

"Absolutely not, we'll find another way. We can take you to Urahara; he can make you like the Vizard. Things don't need to end this way."

"No, Shūhei," she said calmly, placing her hand against his face. "The process has gone too far past that point. There isn't enough of my soul left to fight what I'm becoming. There is no other way."

Hisagi fought the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I made a vow to protect you, not knowing that one day in order to save you I would have to destroy you. I will do what is necessary, but know it tears me apart inside to do so. However I will not let you suffer."

"Then let it be done."

Never breaking from her gaze, he plunged the sharp blades of his zanpakutō into the soft flesh of her abdomen. Pain twisted the features of her face, but she didn't look away. "Th… thank you, Shūhei, and know that your love did not go unreturned."

As he watched the life fade from her form, tears he couldn't hold back dampened his face. Blood soaked his hands as he lowered her lifeless body to the sand. Slowly the form before him disintegrated into the air. The deed was done and there was nothing more for him here.

Gathering himself, he set to waking up the others before the two Espada regained consciousness. He could care less if he even made it home, but he knew it was important for his friends to be safe. The three of them, now banged and bruised, struggled back to where they entered and opened a Garganta to return to the soul society. Nothing would be the same again.


	25. Epilogue

It had been weeks since they returned and still he'd hardly said a word to anyone. He'd submitted the entire mission report in written form, leaving the verbal details to the others. Whenever someone approached him, he either ignored them or asked them to leave. His daily assignments were carried out in stoic silence and his free time was spent sitting on the highest rooftops reflecting on his decisions. Now was one of those times.

On this day revenge was present in Hisagi's thoughts. He knew he wasn't ready for any sort of battle quite yet, but when he was, Aizen would pay. Truthfully, death was too good for the coward; he should be forced to suffer for eternity. However, death was the only way to ensure he could never hurt anyone else ever again. When the time was right, he'd be there to ensure Aizen's true demise.

What he did to Mitsuki was unforgivable. She deserved better. He'd tortured her and destroyed her, turning her soul into a heartless monster. If his sick plan was to tear them apart one by one, it wasn't going to happen. Hisagi wasn't about to let anyone else go through what Aizen put him through, or what he put Mitsuki through.

If only he'd done things differently she might still be here. All he had to do was tell her how he felt, but instead he sat back as her friend, hoping she'd somehow see him as more. How could he have expected her to know when he couldn't even talk to her? He should have done more to save her and now he was paying for it.

"Yo, Hisagi," a voice sounded over his shoulder. He didn't bother to turn around, choosing to disregard the crimson haired man behind him. "You can ignore me all you want, but you can't keep beating yourself up over this. There's nothing you could have done to change things. None of us could." Still he remained silent. "It's good to talk about these things, you know. If you keep it all inside, it's going to eat away at you."

Hisagi sighed, "I know this, Renji, thanks for your concern. When I'm ready, I'll talk. I'm just not there yet."

"Fair enough, as long as you get there."

After a moment of silence, he finally turned to the man behind him. "There's actually something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Renji asked, surprised his friend was still speaking.

"Where are you with Rukia?"

It took him a moment to responded, wondering why his friend was suddenly interested. "We're still just friends."

"I take it you haven't told her yet."

"No," the taller man said, hanging his head slightly, "I haven't found a good time to do so."

Hisagi put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "There is no good time, you just have to tell her how you feel as soon as you can. Sometimes it feels like we have an eternity for these things, but I can promise you, at some point, that eternity will be cut too short. When you're times up, it's up. Don't waste anymore of that time."

Renji saw the pain in his friend normally unreadable eyes. He heard the guilt and regret in the man's voice for the events he couldn't change. His tone was pleading for that which he couldn't have. He didn't want Renji to make the same mistakes.

"Alright, I'll tell her today. No more excuses, no more delays."

A pained, yet supportive smile formed on Hisagi's lips. If he couldn't be happy himself then he'd just have to be happy for those around him.

"You have to do one thing in return for me, Hisagi. We're getting together for some drinks, and I don't care if you don't speak a word, I just want you to come with us."

"I need a few moments alone first," Hisagi said, reluctantly accepting the invitation. "I'll join you shortly."

Renji nodded in understanding as he walked away.

Alone once more, Hisagi turned to face the setting sun. Everything around him reminded him of her. She was in everything he felt, her voice in every sound he heard, and her smile in everything he saw. Forcing back the threatening tears, he smiled for her, knowing despite all else, he'd delivered her the peace she needed.

"I'll always miss you, Mitsuki," he sighed into the deaf sky.

As he walked away, a soft sound stole his attention. "Shūhei…" the impossible whisper of her voice sounded his name. A warm wind blow past him as he turned to see the empty space unchanged, and faint hint of her scent coughed him off guard. She may have been gone, but she'd always be with him.

End

A/N: I just wanted to give a massive Thank You to everyone who's read my story. You are all awesome and if I could I'd send you all brownies or cookies or whatever else is delicious. Anyway, just thought I'd let you guys know you're appreciated! I luvs me readers! (yes I know I put me and not my)


End file.
